Why I’m blissfully oblivious of the shortcomings of Oblivion

When nothing else works to make the movie exciting: add drums.

If it’s still not exciting: make it louder.

In case of emergency: turn it up a bit more.

There’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a score. Go big. Be safe.

I can imagine that something along those lines went on in the minds of the makers of Oblivion. This is not a good sign. When you start taking notice of the score, you know there’s something that isn’t working as it should with the movie.

If I was a normal blogger with what’s considered a “good taste”, I would have written something snarky.

I could have sneered at a ridiculous choice of costume. Feathers, really? Are we six-year-olds? This is supposed to be a big movie, not an oh-dear-we’re-we’re-low-on-funds-episode of Start Trek where they throw people into holodeck and hope for the best. According to IMDb it has cost 120 million dollars to make. Tom Cruise must have left something of it for the production?

I might have muttered something about shameless loans from other movies. I would probably have made a reference to the title. The temptation would be irresistible. Because it’s actually a forgettable movie.

A science fiction fan at heart
I admit all of that and I don’t begrudge anyone who raises objections against the qualities of Oblivion. You’re in good company with a lot of critics.

But.

The thing is: I’m a science fiction fan at heart. I’ve been that ever since I first laid my eyes on Foundation in my pre-teens thanks to my parents who insisted on it (bless them!).

Most of the movies I watch and books I read nowadays are mainstream. But every time I consume idea based science fiction, it all comes back to me. I’m at home, where I belong.

I love aliens that are truly alien and a threat to mankind. I love conspiracies, the one man’s fight against society. I love to see Earth in ruins and far travelling space ships. I love twists, particularly so since I’m so hopelessly stupid that I almost never manage to see them coming.

Yes, Moon with its 5 million dollar budget is a far better movie. It’s the classic that Oblivion never will be. If you’ve got Tom Cruise in your cast, I don’t think you can afford to be edgy and take any risks. So you mix in scenes that seem like leftovers from Top Gun not to put off the non-geeky audience too much. And this dilutes the whole thing

But in the end, I can’t deny it: I enjoyed watching this movie quite a bit. That’s just how I’m wired.

Oh, and if you wonder why I’m not saying anything about the plot and what the movie’s all about, it’s all on purpose. The less you know the better. If you insist on knowing more before you get into it, you can find that information elsewhere.

Oblivion (Joseph Kosinski, US 2013) My rating: 4/5