Oblivion (2013), directed by Joseph Kosinski, is a mesmerizing story of loss, faith, and hope in both humanity, ourselves, and our hopes. Kosinski‘s intrepid epic traces Technician 49 (Tom Cruise) as he proceeds with his daily duties repairing drones assigned to secure these enormous water-draining devices. Earth is in a perilous situation and Tech 49 is assigned to ensure the functionality of the only source of life for their new world. With the Earth toppled and much of everything destroyed, Tech 49 is merely living for the day and surviving every encounter with the Scavengers (Scavs).
Straight from the beginning we are drawn to Tech 49, the handsome, charming, and confused individual on an unknown mission to uncover the depths of his consciousness. In doing so, he discovers a perilous situation and reaches the final compromise and return to innocence, atop the skies he greets his master with a quote from Greek mythology. In the end, the film leaves many questions unanswered and, perhaps, that’s for a good reason, or that the questions are too big for the film to answer.
Kosinski wrote this “graphic novel” Oblivion (12 page story) in 2005, 5 years before his huge release of Tron: The Legacy. Intent to reinforce Tron, his own legacy grounded on a powerful science-fiction ideal, Kosinski swiftly developed Oblivion’s production. According the production notes, Kosinski stated, “ I have always liked the ’70s sci-fi art by Chris Foss, Peter Elson and Chris Moore and knew that with VFX technology as advanced as it is today, I could combine CGI work and real landscapes seamlessly and create something unique.” We’ve already seen Kosinski’s addiction to CGI and visual effects in Tron.
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