Oblivious Hollywood and Its New Movie ‘Oblivion’

Written by Rachel Redfern

Tom Cruise’s latest movie, Oblivion, is exactly that, a movie about Tom Cruise; upon watching, it felt as though any other character had been thrown in as an after-thought, which obviously denied them of any personality or importance to the plot. This of course leaves one with the odd idea that had they just nixed everyone else from the film and had Cruise be the only actor, it might actually have been a better movie.
Oblivion is the latest Sci-fi action movie blockbuster from Hollywood, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring (the somehow never aging) Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (hello, Jamie Lannister!). The plot: Jack (Cruise) and his partner Victoria (Riseborough) are clean-up and maintenance crews for the energy-creating and defense units that are left on Earth after everyone moves to Mars (basically like Wall-E except not as good). Of course, Jack is a curious sort of fellow, and mystery abounds when a spaceship crashes on Earth with a curiously familiar woman inside and the sudden reveal of Morgan Freeman (who, sadly, has basically 10 lines for the whole movie). 

Tom Cruise saving the day in Oblivion

While some of the ideas could have been unique regarding the mystery and eventual climax of the film, for the most part it all feels very stock and trade. The whole movie is just watching Cruise go from one location to the next, kick someone’s ass, save someone, and have an inordinately pretty woman make love eyes at him. (Seriously, Cruise has to fly the jet, destroy the evil machines following them with his amazing skills, and shoot one-handed to pop off the ones that get too close, all while the female lead sits in the passenger seat looking scared and confused?) It feels flat and familiar and lacking in any kind of interaction with the other actors or scenery; it’s really a very static film with only one dynamic actor and everything else a fancy prop.

It’s a shame that the rest of the characters weren’t interesting, unique, or even had many lines. There were some great male actors in the film, specifically Coster-Waldau and Freeman who were sorely underused. Beyond that, their plot lines were unexplained and vague, lacking in development, explanation or screen time.

That’s not even the worst though; let’s consider the women of the film. The female characters were a type that I haven’t seen in a while, being so wholly lacking in personality that it was like watching a 70’s action movie. They were fairly helpless, dashingly clueless, often naked for no reason, and sent longing looks in Jack’s direction a lot—with ever-so-slightly-parted, lingerie model lips. Really, is it impossible to close your mouth when you’re in love? 

Olga Kurylenko looks longingly at Tom Cruise in Oblivion

I was actually surprised at how lackluster and generic the women were; lately it seems that Hollywood is at least trying to have one interesting woman in a film, but the lack of effort here was laughable. Again, EVE, the female robot in Wall-E was a thousand times more interesting and developed with a far more fascinating and distinct personality.

The effects and the landscape were, as in most big Hollywood blockbusters, impeccable. As is the lead actresses clothes, hair, make-up. But that’s the problem; it’s all so soulless. The technology has a lot of rounded corners and blue, floating touch screens and it’s all very pretty and it’s all very unoriginal. The lead actress is tall and thin, has the ends of her long hair curled and wears a nice 4-inch high heel shoe—the poster child for how to dress for a job interview. 

Andrea Riseborough looking impeccably dull in Oblivion

I just want to see something new: a less-sterile spaceship, some messed-up hair, maybe a square corner on a computer screen, hell I’d settle for a power cord. It’s just monotonous. Where is the vibrancy, the life, the touch of grit? Could there at least be one pair of ill-fitting jeans? How about some sense of relatable emotion like embarrassment, rejection, disappointment? What if the technology malfunctioned? Or the Macgyver-ing of the wires just didn’t work?

I don’t know, Hollywood; what if something new happened? Do what you haven’t done in a while and surprise me. 

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Rachel Redfern has an MA in English literature, where she conducted research on modern American literature and film and its intersection; however, she spends most of her time watching HBO shows, traveling, and blogging and reading about feminism.

 

7 thoughts on “Oblivious Hollywood and Its New Movie ‘Oblivion’”

  1. Wow, this movie sounds like utter crap. Tom Cruise is a religious spaz, and the only sad thing about Morgan Freeman is that no-one seems to care that he’s a pedophile and still offer him roles! (He’s married to his own adopted granddaughter – a relationship he started when she was still in her teens – for fuck’s sake Bitch Flicks!)

  2. The cinematography was top-notch. Beautiful shots, CG that felt like it had real weight.

    Early-on the action-focus on Tom Cruise was mildly invisible, because we were keeping a tight focus on him. Of course he’s the only one doing stuff, because he’s the only one we’re watching! (note; that doesn’t make it forgivable, just invisible)

    Once the movie actually begins exploring other characters at the same time and giving them space to be developed it begins to stand out like a sore thumb. At the end, when there’s room for other people to be heroic, especially women, and that’s just erased and ignored? And the retro gender politics! The way a woman is introduced and immediately is straight into distress, and never leaves damsel in distress throughout?

    Ugh, ugh, ugh!!!

    (he turned 50 while making this movie????)

  3. Morgan Freeman and his second wife adopted his first wife’s granddaughter. The accusation that he’s marrying the granddaughter first popped up via an anonymous source in the National Enquirer. Both he and the granddaughter have said they’re not romantically involved.

  4. You’re right, from googling I see now that he, for the first time in 10 years, denied it last year. Strange though, how such a nasty rumour can be sustained for so long. They have been said to be dating all this time! Why the hell hasn’t anyone spoken out against it before now? I chose to stay unconvinced.

  5. I just watched this and all I could think was that it would have been so much better if the dark hair wife had been in the lead and she found Jack in the fallen space ship.

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