Imagine walking into a room with Tom Cruise and then pitching him a multimillion dollar blockbuster with no script. Joseph Kosinski did just that with his new film Oblivion. The Tron: Legacy explains precisely what it's like directing the mysterious movie star, why he picked M83 for the soundtrack and he dishes the dirt on Tron sequels and his new adaptation of the 70's classic Black Hole.
As for the film itself? Look, I give Oblivion massive props for being one of the few original Hollywood blockbuster script that we are likely to see this year (or any other in the future). They are a dwindling breed. That said the result is something of a mixtape of sci-fi ideas (as indeed was predicted in Coming Sooner). The twists and turns are where Oblivion really sings. The careful mechanics of the mystery and indeed the literal mechanics of the production design are simply stunning. The film wraps around you as a sensory experience with its lush sounscapes and stark Steve Jobsian beauty. Often though the design is used in a beautifully subtle way to shift the tenor of the story. An object will appear at first to be harmless and utilitarian only to surreptitiously become sinister without you ever noticing the shift.
Downsides? There are plenty. Oblivion features one of the worst voice-overs I've ever heard in a film. The film constantly over-feeds you with too much pointless exposition that they go on to explain again some minutes later. Also, the Morgan Freeman clan are woefully underdeveloped in terms of their role within the story.
Still, despite it's flaws I genuinely want to see it again and as a result Oblivion gets 3/5