Oblivion

What’s more important for a film, to tell a story or to visualise it? Both are, no doubt; there’s no objective answer, and yet, in the lay debates among film fans the prevailing idea is that an exceptionally narrated story = elaborated art, and perfect visuals = just expensive commerce. That’s often the case, of course, but we shouldn’t generalise. Oblivion is a film with amazing visuals, with this I don’t mean that it “looks expensive”, I’m judging the aesthetics of images and scenes – the swimming pool scene will be one of the highlights of the year. To some extent, it’s similar to Prometheus – you can pick on the details of the story until the end of days, if that’s your thing, but the source of an aesthetic experience lies elsewhere, as does the source of an intellectual one. Oblivion is smart sci-fi (actually, there hasn’t been such pure sci-fi for a long time, fans of Clark must be happy!) that in its higher level offers a lot of food for thought – the good side of all proper sci-fi, greetings to Star Wars… :D PS: I want Kosinski to adapt “Rendezvous with Rama”!!! (21/04/2013)

Based on the trailer, I was expecting the same concept as Prometheus, that is, a visually spectacular and utterly captivating experience for sci-fi lovers that in the end is not nearly as sophisticated as we would like. But Oblivion is different, it is much more minimalist and modest, with its biggest weakness being Joseph Kosinski as a screenwriter. I believe he did his best, but he is a much better director than a writer. The biggest drawback in terms of the script, in my opinion, is the fact that they drew inspiration from older films such as Independence Day or The Matrix. Some years ago, we would have been amazed, but things are different today. However, Kosinski confirmed his role as an incredibly talented visionary in terms of audiovisual execution, and many scenes are literally breathtaking, the scene in the pool for example, in combination with perfect lighting, music, and sound, provides the ultimate feeling of excitement and cinematic experience. Similar feats could also be seen in Tron: Legacy. Kosinski knows how to create a different world where the viewer is willing to forget for a moment about their own, only a very few filmmakers can do this. (27/04/2013)

It already seemed that the timeline was falling apart and the individual actions and twists were contradicting each other, but Joseph Kosinski proved that he could pull it off. And that when he spent so many years trying to promote his material, he knew what he was doing. However, the real surprise remains the fact that more than the sci-fi touch or a successful romantic storyline, the central message about the power of spirit and human determination stays with me. It is precisely here that the gamble on an aging Tom Cruise proved to be a perfect hit. His Jack Harper is occasionally written as a relatively two-dimensional character, but Tom's acting makes him an admirable hero in the end. (24/04/2013)

Lots of mysterious promises, but (mainly because of the stupid trailers) few surprises, lots of questions, but few answers (i.e., few answers that don't feel like they've been hastily pulled out of thin air)... Fortunately, everything is impressively crafted, the design of all the machines, buildings and weapons is a joy to behold, Tom Cruise is likeable, whilst the music is pleasantly meditative, though nothing memorable. Three and a half stars. I preferred Elysium, which didn't try to be something it wasn’t for most of its duration. (11/10/2014)

The main reason that Oblivion will fade from the viewer’s consciousness faster than TRON is not that Kosinski steals from his colleagues (Stanton, Jones, Lawrence, Trumbull, Kubrick, the Wachowskis), thus making it apparent how inferior he is as a storyteller, but that he steals from himself. The original wow effect is diminished significantly by the repetition of the same approach, especially in a world without the possibility of “edit levels”, which was a boon for video-game designers and fans. However, that effect was powerful enough to keep me entertained for the whole two hours, intoxicated by the film’s audio-visual perfection. Kosinski’s nerdish approach to the characters makes a human a bearer of meanings comparable in value to a robot, landscape or piece of furniture (while being at the same level with his significantly limited use of common sense). The geometric compositions of the shots, whose actual content becomes less substantial than the surface message, are more important than words and emotions. Everything and everyone serves to complement the overall design, to which the protagonists’ motivations and the direction of the plot are subordinated. The final scene, which shows us that we have probably misdirected our emotions, can be understood as a mockery of the standard “entry” into the story through identification with the characters. Kosinski is uniquely capable of connecting movement with sound, which is “applied” to the picture in individual layers, and the result is the same as in TRON, a mainstream variation on an audio-visual symphony. The plot is a bit too much, though without it (and without Cruise and his varying uncomprehending expression) a $120 million project like this  would not have been made. However, I wouldn’t underrate the film as a whole because of its lifeless characters, unoriginal subject or illogical actions, because on another level it offers an inspiring statement on the current social reality of efficient working teams, to which people devote themselves to such an extent that they lose their identity in them together with their ability to live authentically. The first half of film, devoid of plot (and thus better), with its parody of the perfect partnered relationship and its depiction of a work activity that involves only maintenance with no particular goal or chance of real (and potentially dangerous to the system) change of conditions, says more about today’s world than many art films with an uglier design. And Oblivion is definitely a film made for IMAX! 80% (15/04/2013)