Oblivion Directed by: Joseph Kosinski Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: April 19, 2013 (April 12 in IMAX)
Trailer Score: 8/10
Thoughts by TSR: I know I need to keep my expectations in check after TRON: Legacy, but I've liked the marketing for Oblivion a lot. The best aspects of Joseph Kosinski's first feature – music and visuals (though even the Grid got a bit tiresome after a while) – should be strong in this as well. While the trailer music is a bit generic, I'm hopeful M83 can provide a score that rivals the propulsive energy Daft Punk contributed to TRON: Legacy. The visuals are probably the biggest takeaway. Kosinski knows how to handle visual effects, and I quite like his version of post-apocalyptic earth. The brief shot of the Leaning Monument of Washington is particularly effective. Most of the action is also impressive, and the flying stuff makes a case for seeing this in 3D (or, perhaps even better, in IMAX).
Story (or lack thereof) is what really brought TRON: Legacy down. This doesn't make Oblivion out to be the most original sci-fi film, but I like what's here. We're dealing with a pretty strong cast, too. Tom Cruise leads the show, and he and Andrea Riseborough look good together. One of my favorite parts is when she coldly pays off an earlier moment by stating, "We are not an effective team." I'm not the biggest fan of Morgan Freeman – heresy, I know – but he should be in the running for the fictional smoothest entrance award at next year's Oscars. As for Melissa Leo, well, I've never been a huge fan of her either. There's something about her – I think it's the accent – that I really don't like in this trailer, though I suspect that might be the point. Finally, what this lacks in Jeff Bridges, it gains in not having creepy CGI Jeff Bridges. That is a good thing. I don't expect a classic, but I'm counting on Oblivion being the solid sci-fi film the trailers have been selling.