My first thought upon seeing Morgan Freeman in Oblivion: HOLY SHIT, IT’S GOD.
And though that was undoubtedly not true, the thought was quickly replaced by another one: maybe it is God? (It wasn’t but for the abundance of twists in this, it just as well could have been).
The narrative was great. A bit old, yes, but it worked well and the setting was hard to understand anyway – it would’ve felt empty without, I suppose. It was rushed, though – though most of my most hated scenes in film history are the scenes where a story from the setting’s history is told visually with a voiceover (the opening of Eragon, for example – though the entire thing sucked, so that’s not the best example, I suppose) and I enjoyed this much more.
I kept looking for faults in this film until the end and I found so few – by the last few minutes I realised it was a waste of time. I kind of feel like I should watch films very critically ever since I’ve been reviewing but… that’s not me. If I like a film, I like it. I don’t watch bad films intentionally merely to point out all the bad bits. The things I didn’t like I noticed anyway, so there was really no point. Just a quip.
There were two things that annoyed me: firstly, the flashbacks, which felt random, especially for the first part1, and secondly, the part where Jack talks about Super Bowl 2017. It was cliché and felt out of place where it may have worked later in the film when Jack had crept his way into the people’s hearts’ – which he, perhaps, didn’t, for most people. I blame Tom Cruise2 and platitudes for this. For me, the worst crime against originality was Jack – because hey, no, I won’t buy that a person whose memory was wiped five years ago knows about the Super Bowl six decades ago and is that fascinated by it. The love story felt far-fetched, especially at first. And the list goes on.
Visual aspects here were something that made Oblivion remarkable. It wasn’t overdone like it tends to be, it was rather unpretentious but convincing – Jack’s hideaway is the kind of nuance I loathe in films but here it didn’t bother me much – it had exactly the right amount of contrast. The scenery is scenic and striking throughout the film and while these enormousflying balls were familiar, as were many other elements, they were still engaging. Plus I liked the camera angles and the aesthetical part – for example, the colouring was marvelous.
An impeccable addition were the twists. Thinking back now, it didn’t have that many – but all were more or less groundbreaking. Every time I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist and the entire direction of the film changed. It was lovely, really.3
Oblivion was consuming. It was complete. I think one thing that made me love it that much was the sense of completeness. Not many films (or books) do it nowadays, relying on postmodernism and thought provoking – but there’s a lot of thrill to seeing something complete, where all the pieces tie together. It proved a world. I find good dystopia irresistible and this was one4 and combined with the visuals along with the turns in the tale, it made me love it a great deal.
________________________________
1 didn’t like the colouring too much either, to be honest.
2 though I was surprised by how much I did like him and his acting – I think his name on the poster was one of the few things that made me doubt seeing Oblivion.
3 and is also the reason I don’t get the people who say it was boring. Really. What.
4 I just read a review that bluntly said that Oblivion sucks. I’m a bit put off by this. It didn’t suck. It was majestic. Really. Okay, I’m kind of pissed now. I liked it a lot and (nearly) everyone says it blows chunks. I’ll come back to this tomorrow. (PS: Alright. It’s tomorrow.)
Good words as always! Off topic: did you do the typography in the firat image? If so, you have an amazing eye for design!
Oh, wow, thank you! And I did – you noticed – I’m astounded – wait – oooooh! I’m glad you like it. 😀
I hope I’d notice, I work with Adobe programs every day! I love a good typographical image. What typeface is the text?
Awesome! I’d love to do that. For now, Adobe serves for blog graphics and photo edits only. Boring stuff, haha.
The text is Alégre Sans.
Nice review, very nice read and it’s obvious you care about what you write – though unfortunately I am one of the many who annoyed you by saying it sucked! Wall-E already has the tiny hero pottering around a dystopian future story covered, I feel.
Thank you! I didn’t like Wall-E too much but I see your point. I think Wall-E was more depressing, too.
B-but the space dancing! I agree that Wall-E had a surprising darker side to it, but that’s kind of why I admired it so much.
I loved this film! Something about the story and visuals reminded me of those 70’s scifi films but with great pace and action 😀
Good review 😀
OOH, I’m glad! And well, the only sci-fi films from that time I’ve seen are Star Wars and Tron and they’re not even all the way sci-fi. Though I see your point… I even saw some Star Wars elements 😀
Glad you liked it!
Good luck I hope you enjoy it as much as me 😀
Great review Elena. I know what you mean about the completeness of it, it isn’t begging for a sequel. I’m glad someone else liked it 🙂
Good point! It might be just that. I don’t like sequels at all due to the fact 90% of them suck. Thanks, too!!
Still skeptical about seeing this, but I’ve heard people say it’s good. Great review though!
Thanks! I think it’s worth seeing if you don’t expect it to be a mindblowingly original, unclichéd film but rather a telling of a story. From what I see, most people expected a different film. (Or better yet- don’t set any expectations, heheh.)
Pingback: Oblivion, the Lammy Awards | filmhipster
Nice write up!! 🙂
Thanks, Tyson 🙂
Awesome review, nice to know there are good twists there I love being surprised 🙂 I’ll try to see it in the cinema next week, the effects look amazing.
Let us know what you thought then, huh? And pleaaaase don’t hate it too much… 😀
Why would I hate it?:P I love sci-fi. I’m one of the few people on Earth whole loved Prometheus 😛
It seems to be the trend. Sadly. But cheers! I’d liked Prometheus if I hadn’t been busy being scared to death. Horror freaks me out, haha.
Pingback: Oblivion, the Lammy Awards and a little Filth | filmhipster
It’s beautiful to just gaze and stare at, but the story leaves a holy hell left to be desired. Good review Elena.
Thanks! I heard somewhere that the less sci-fi you’ve seen, the better Oblivion is, so maybe it’s that for me.
Nice review. I maybe didn’t love it quite so much as you, as it did seem a bit derivative, but it’s a shame if people get put off seeing this at the cinema.
I think Oblivion is something you have to see on the big screen or it just doesn’t work. Can’t imagine watching it on TV.
Pingback: Oblivion Review | The Filmster
Just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy your blog, I am now following. As you know, I recently started my own film blog and appreciated that you checked it out. Feel free to stop by anytime.
Ooh, thank you! I like yours a lot too!
Pingback: Linked 21/4: Lack of motivation | Mettel Ray Movie Blog