REVIEW: Oblivion DVD/Blu-Ray

In the year 2077, mankind has fled the war-ravaged Earth to colonize Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. But in order for the new colony to survive, they must continue to salvage valuable resources from their desolate home planet.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) work as an effective team to monitor and repair drones to continue the work of harvesting Earth’s remaining resources. Until one day . . . Jack discovers a downed spacecraft and the same beautiful woman (Olga Kurylenko) who has been haunting his dreams. With his mind wiped to eliminate all memories of the terrible war that ravaged their world, he is unable to determine if his dreams are recollections trying to escape or something else. She, however, knows things about him that threaten to turn his world upside down.

Jack is confronted with questions. Which woman should he trust? And what do the scavs–their enemies–really want? Why can’t he just stay on Earth, where some isolated areas seem to be recovering from the devastation that occurred 60 years prior?

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy), Oblivion is a beautiful film. Though the imagery is dominated by simple white and gray hues, there’s an elegance to this post-Apocalyptic world. And it’s sleek and modern without feeling too cold or austere.

Appearances by Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones) provide a bit more personality to the film, and their interactions with Jack, combined with the mysterious woman, help him to open his eyes to a world far more complex than he imagined. Everything he knew is put into question. Who should he trust? Who is really the enemy? Who is he, really?

It’s a visually stunning, thought-provoking film that has slow moments. In spite of the pacing at times, however, I would recommend it.  I know there are people who won’t watch anything Tom Cruise is in, but as he is in two Spielberg movies, I certainly don’t fall into that category.

Oblivion is now available in a multitude of formats, and bonus features include commentary, deleted scenes, and “making of” extras about the visual effects, stunts, and more.