Oblivion

2013 saw director Joseph Kosinski bring us the sci-fi, post apocalyptic film Oblivion.

After an invasion of Earth that us humans barely fought off, the planet is rendered uninhabitable thanks to nuclear warfare. Humans have all moved elsewhere… except for a mop-up crew, left behind to gather what remains of the Earth’s resources. But all is not what it seems when a spacecraft falls out of the sky and soon drone repairman Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) will question everything about himself and the mission.

I was truly blown away by the attention to detail in this film. I loved the scenery, and the attempt to show remnants of Earth such as the underground library and some of the structures still partly intact. Then you have the sci-fi element with all the technology and it made a brilliant contrast that really did give this feel of post apocalyptic isolation. Many of the special effects were on the grand scale, and breathtakingly beautiful. A job well done.

The storyline itself is crazy, twisting and turning to the point where you really don’t know what’s going to happen next at all.

The acting was superb, with Cruise creating a character that you can really connect with and feel for as he learns the truth. The other characters too are also highly relatable, as they struggle to survive in this harsh new world.

Some brilliant moments to watch out for are when Jack is down the sinkhole, where he finds a buried library and, naturally, some Scavengers; the underwater kissing scene… just a bit strange; the scene where the drone spins wildly out of control, before smashing into a wall and dramatically exploding into a colourful cloud of sparks; Jack being chased by the three drones; Jack fighting…. himself?; and finally the battle in the secret base against the drones… complete and utter chaos.

And my favourite quotes from this film are:

• ‘Our job is not to remember. Remember?’ – Victoria (Andrea Riseborough)
• ‘You look like sh*t.’ – Beech (Morgan Freeman)   ‘You should see the other guy.’ – Jack
• ‘Buck up Bob. Don’t get all shaky on me.’ – Jack to his Elvis bobble-head
• ‘If we have souls, they are made of the love we share. Undimmed by time. Unbound by death.’ – Jack

Overall this was an impressive display of visual effects, with a clever, if confusing in places, storyline that really set the tone of a well thought out post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.

A 7.5 out of 10.

TRON: Legacy

In 2010 TRON: Legacy was brought to our cinema screens by director Joseph Kosinski.

When Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) goes looking for his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges), a game designer who has been missing for years, he finds himself in the world designed by his father. Here he must play the dangerous games of The Grid and will meet one of his father’s creations gone bad. Can he make it out alive?

This is a film that really goes all out. The attention to detail is superb, the acting great, the storyline good with many twists and turns, and the overall look and feel of the film is excellent.

We are introduced to this beautiful new world of futuristic technology, amazing stunts and many unique ideas in what a futuristic world could look like. All of this creates a stunning visual with some amazing fight scenes and CGI.

However, I think the special effects and, in just a couple of places, the music are a little overused, giving the film a bit of a cheesy after-taste (sorry for the bad pun there).

But overall, this film promises potential, with great moments such as Sam just simply allowing himself to fall of a rather tall building…he’s crazy that way; the upside-down fighting in The Grid…that’s just showing off; the whole light-cycle fight scene against Clu (also played by Jeff Bridges)…rather impressive CGI here; the awkward dinner with father and son scene; and finally, Sam having way too much fun on the turret on the ship… as you do. Ah, let him have his fun. Garrett Hedlund is cute whatever he does ;).

And my favourite quotes from this movie are:

• ‘What’s more imperfect than our world?’ – Kevin
• ‘The awe was palpable.’ – Castor/Zuse (Michael Sheen)
• ‘The thing about perfection is that it’s unknowable. It’s impossible, but it’s also right in front of us all the time.’ – Kevin

Overall, this film had it all, and maybe a little too much in some cases. However, that doesn’t stop it from having some stunning visuals with a captivating storyline and relatable characters. Plus: Garrett Hedlund ;).

A 7.2 out of 10.