Oblivion - Blu-Ray

Film: Back in 2005, Joseph Kosinski had an idea for a dark science fiction adventure that he wrote down in graphic novel form, hoping to turn it into a screenplay later on. But work on his film Tron: Legacy made it impossible for him to pursue the project. Luckily, the story came to the attention of producers Barry Levine and Jesse Berger, who helped find investors to turn Kosinski's idea into a film. The result is a visually gorgeous sci-fi thriller that, while borrowing many of its ideas from other films, has combined them into a highly entertaining whole.

Oblivion is set in the year 2077. It has now been six decades since Earth was attacked by an alien life form. While the war was won, the planet was subsequently uninhabitable for humans. Therefore, the survivors of the terrible war were shipped in colonies to a new home, only technician Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his colleague Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) must remain on Earth for several weeks to oversee the mining of resources vital to the new colonies. Every day Jack has to fly from the station above the clouds to Earth to check the surveillance drones and repair them if necessary. It's not an easy job, as some of the alien invaders are still hiding on Earth, taking every opportunity to get their hands on technology that's still working. But so far Jack has mastered every danger sovereign. But when a space capsule crashes over his patrol area and Jack is able to rescue a survivor (Olga Kurylenko) from the wreckage, he sets off a chain of events that completely calls into question not only his future, but his past as well...

Whether it's Wall-E, 2001, Moon or The Omega Man, Kosinski has very obviously drawn from various genre representatives. However, his film is not an unimaginative copy. Rather, the director pays tribute to a genre he holds in high esteem and its representatives by giving familiar motifs his own personal touch and inserting them into a new, rousing story. Sure, there's nothing really new about what's on display in Oblivion. Even the big, surprise twist in the final third is something science fiction fans should have come across before in a different form. In addition, a slightly more consistent ending would have been quite desirable, as the last two minutes rob the story of a bit of its effectiveness. Nevertheless, these weaknesses weigh very little in the end, because the bottom line is that Oblivion is quite great popcorn cinema with high entertainment value and even higher spectacle value.

The post-apocalyptic world that Kosinski has created here with the help of his special effects team is oppressive on the one hand, but also fascinatingly beautiful on the other. The way familiar landmarks of New York are inserted into a landscape that has been reclaimed by nature is just great, looks familiar and alienating at the same time and gives the film a very special atmosphere that is hard to resist, especially as a fan of apocalyptic science fiction stories.

Although the actors are almost degraded to a minor matter, Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough do their thing really well. Olga Kurylenko, on the other hand, is not allowed to show any real talents except for her looks. And also Morgan Freeman and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau don't really leave a lasting impression in their short scenes. On the other hand, the story doesn't even demand it, which is why these rather average acting performances don't stand out negatively at all.

The thrilling story, the great effects, some very good action sequences, the music by M83 that reminds a bit like a mix of Hans Zimmer's Inception music and the soundtrack to TRON: Legacy and also lead actor Tom Cruise make Oblivion a winner all along the line, despite its small weaknesses. Great entertainment cinema that doesn't just flaunt its special effects, but also takes enough time for the characters and their story. For this there is a more than deserved: absolutely worth seeing!!

Picture + Sound: As was to be expected, the technical implementation of Oblivion for the Blu-Ray release can convince in almost every respect. The picture is crystal clear and has a tremendous amount of detail as a result. The color scheme is cohesive and the black levels are almost perfectly matched. Whether it's in the bright outdoor scenes or the darker interior shots, there's really nothing to fault about the picture quality. The same can be said for the sound, which has a wide range of effects to offer. From smaller, discreetly integrated into the action sounds to large, massive sound effects, the viewer gets here again and again from all channels something around the ears. Very good!

Extras: The bonus material has turned out relatively meager. But contentwise it can convince for it. It starts with a very engaging audio commentary by director Joseph Kosinski and his leading man Tom Cruise. The two men talk very animatedly about the film and its making and give quite a few interesting anecdotes and background information to the best. In addition, the disc has a five-part making of (approx. 46 min.) to offer, which goes into particular detail about the beginnings of the project, the design, the stunts, the special effects and the music. Four unreleased scenes (approx. 4:25 min.) and a soundtrack featuring the film's isolated score round out the additional offerings. Good!

Conclusion: Oblivion is certainly not the most original science fiction film of recent years. Nevertheless, it convinces with great pictures, an exciting story and good actors. On the Blu-Ray, the flick shines with excellent picture and sound quality and also has a few nice extras on board. That is enough for a more than convinced: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp