Oblivion

FLIX!

The time is in the future. As is the problem with most Sci-Fi films it's never far enough in the future, but it's supposed to be about 2077. There is an alien invasion. Instead of attacking us directly, the aliens destroyed significant sections of our moon, which caused major tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, etc. making our planet uninhabitable. Then the surviving humans began placing themselves on a giant space station planning to re-locate to Titan, a moon of Jupiter. They have set up huge floating devices that are sucking up sea water, and pulling off all of the resources of Earth and when enough is gathered, the humans will all begin their voyage to Titan.  Protecting these monstrosities from the "Skavs" is an Army of Drones. The Skavs apparently were the invading aliens. Jack and a woman were left behind, and Jack's job was to service the Drones when they experienced malfunctions.

But then Jack, against the wishes of Sally - the Commander on the Space Station - approaches a wreck he has witnessed and sees a Drone killing humans that were in pods from the wreck. It confuses him, although he managed to save one pod. At a different time he follows a drone down into a hole in the ground that apparently was once a library. As he narrowly makes an escape from the place, he stoops to pick up a book, which turns out to be a book of ancient plays. All the while Jack is haunted by brief snippets of memory from another time.

Eventually Jack gets captured by the Skavs who turn out to be humans, and without being a spoiler, I will leave you to your own devices to try and sort out what becomes a bit of a convoluted mess. This movie had a lot of heart, but struggled to tell the story in a clear and easily translatable way. If I hadn't given you this much, you may not have gleaned this much of what's going on here. And this among other things, is the reason this film will not get the theater viewing it deserves. It is a thinking/thought movie. A Sci-Fi mystery of sorts. It is not an action picture although it has action moments. But it's primary focus is telling an intricate story that requires a lot of work and intensity from the viewing audience. So if you go to this movie expecting a high-octane post-apocolyptic war story you will be disappointed. Because there is limited action. There are a handful of combat scenes, and when they use effects in this picture it is great. But large action moments are not what this flick is about.

The cast is small but effective. Tom Cruise as Jack Harper will sell a lot of tickets. Morgan Freeman as the head of the Skavs is underutilized but great as usual. And this is it. The rest of the cast were good, but all virtual unknowns.

This movie moves somewhat slow and is tough to follow. But I attempted to focus on what I was being given and over-all it was an interesting experience. I have rolled this one over in my mind quite a bit. So I will reluctantly recommend it, but with a ton of disclaimers.

I think I want to see it again. Maybe.