Movie Review: OBLIVION

OBLIVION
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo


With the exception of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise movies have been very ho-hum lately. They have ridden the fence of mediocrity, but who is to blame? Is it the material? Is it Tommy boy, the guy that used to make huge blockbuster hits? Or both? The film starts off with Jack Harper (Cruise) narrating the destruction of the Earth and what is left of it. I immediately get perturbed whenever that much exposition is done all in voice-over. An alien invasion destroyed the Moon which caused massive earthquakes and tsunamis that then destroyed the Earth and left a desolate wasteland in its place. A few landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty have, for the most part, been pummeled with the remaining portions left poking out of the ground.

Jack and his partner Vica (Riseborough) are part of a handful of people who have survived the chaos. The majority of his memory has been erased except for the part where he remembers being with a woman (Kurylenko) up on the Empire State Building. Their mission is to fix and maintain robotic drones that defend their power stations from any of the remaining species, known as the Scavs, left from the alien invasion. Vica supervises from their command station on their living quarters watching his back from any potential Scavs that may be lurking in the area. Their superior Sally (Leo) gives the commands to them via satellite from a space station orbiting earth. An unidentified spacecraft crashes down leading Jack to investigate against regulations. He discovers human bodies kept in pods and recognizes one of them as the woman from his memory. Drones quickly descend into the area killing all of the humans, but Jack is able to save this woman. She explains that her ship was a NASA mission but won’t reveal the purpose of the mission. When they go back to retrieve the ship’s flight recorder, they are captured by the Scavs. Everything Jack knows to be true is turned upside down when the Scavs reveal themselves and what their true intention happens to be.

That moment in the story also happens to be the time when the movie derails into a muddled cheap sci-fi flick and starts adding in plot twists and other additional themes and ideas. So much of the exposition was told through narration and then we get blasted with these random space loopholes and ultimate truths that it tries to be a little edgier and deeper than it started out to be. I do not want to give too much away about the second half of the film as it would ruin one of the “revelations” in the film. Did I mention that they do not always explain certain ideas they are introducing? Take for instance the cabin. Yes, a cabin. Apparently on this deserted barren Earth is a cabin that Jack still retreats to for solace and there happens to be electricity so he can listen to his record player. There is also an unnecessary love triangle thrown in.

That being said, the first half of the movie is the better half. It is a three, but mainly two, actor adventure as Cruise and Riseborough go about their mission and roam around what is left of Earth. It gets a bit slow, but I found the idea behind this portion of the story interesting as we see what is left after Earth’s destruction. This exploration of life or the lack thereof was appealing. The look and tone of the film is very reminiscent of earlier sci-fi exploration films, especially 2001: A Space Odyssey. Melissa Leo’s Sally is a direct homage to Hal 9000. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda recently won the Oscar for his work on Life of Pi. His work here is quite beautiful and visually stunning. There is a constant score throughout by Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese that fits well with this mysterious vibe that something else is out there.

Director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) directed the film based on his own graphic novel. Oblivion has some great aspects going it for it but starts to lose its footing when it tries to accomplish too much. I think going in with fairly low expectations caused me to enjoy and give into the film more than I would have if I was expecting the next sci-fi masterpiece. I just wish it would have stayed on track. Call me crazy, but I would not have minded a two or three actor movie about space exploration and the destruction of Earth.

RATING: *** (3 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: TO THE WONDER

TO THE WONDER
Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams



Director Terrence Malick is known to be a reclusive, artistic, mysterious type of director. Over a span of his forty year career he has made six movies clearly taking time in between each artistic endeavor. It comes as somewhat of a surprise that his latest, To the Wonder, has been released just two years after his Oscar nominated The Tree of Life. This internal look into life, love, and happiness feels very much like a companion piece to The Tree of Life in tone, style, mystery, and artistry.



Unlike some of his other films, the story is entirely set in modern day. Neil (Affleck) and Marina (Kurylenko) fall desperately for each other against the backdrop of the Mont St. Michel in France. Marina and her daughter, Tatiana, give up their home in France to live with Neil in Oklahoma. She starts to settle in as he works doing environmental research in the community. Their mainly empty home is set in the heart of a new development with wealthy neighbors and their beautiful houses.



Despite the new life, Marina has troubles adjusting to the vastly different life she now has in Oklahoma compared to the one in France. She spends her spare time in her local church reflecting and contemplating her options. Father Quintana (Bardem) is struggling with his own vocation all the while putting on the standard content face he must share with his congregation. He spends the majority of his days helping the poor and sick members of the community often times putting his own life in jeopardy. Marina's visa expires and she moves back to France with Tatiana. Meanwhile, Neil reconnects with formal flame, Jane (McAdams). Marina cannot seem to ever stay in a happy place as she realizes back in France that she misses Neil too much and moves back to Oklahoma.



Much like his last film, Malick uses poetic narration, imagery, and a simple musical score to tell his story. There is very little actual dialogue between the characters. The narration goes back and forth between the three main characters in a poetic style feeling like they are writing each other letters. The camera never stops moving as the actors are set out to interact with each other and the space while maintaining this story through the sparse dialogue. Much to Malick’s direction and the strong work done by Bardem, Affleck, and Kurylenko they all have created a world you can easily understand. You theoretically could turn off the score and narration and still understand the through line of the story.



Malick’s films are not the most accessible to watch. They require an open mind and patience when sitting through two hours of a slow story with limited dialogue and action as you watch three characters internally struggle with their happiness and purpose in life. I was continually in awe of the beautiful nature shots captured by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who also shot The Tree of Life. Both films feel very personal and autobiographical for him. This film will by no means convert anyone into a Malick fan as these characters are continually depressed with their lives and are seen walking around town dealing with the poor, twirling around in a field, or getting into fights. The audience does not even get to hear any of the potentially good and juicy dialogue that usual comes with these fights. You just watch the two actors struggle. Having watched a few Malick movies before, I knew what I was getting into. I was able to ease in and enjoy the film for what it was. Will you? Only if you are a Malick fan. What does that say about a director that has a distinct point of view, is artistic, and personal in his work but can only cater to a small sect of fans? Does that make him all the more genius or does it turn into someone being self-indulgent and pretentious?

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)