Movies

Oblivion

Olga Kurylenko and Tom Cruise star in a scene from the movie “Oblivion.”

1366313315_f8cd.jpg

Convoluted science fiction epic begins with a technician (Tom Cruise) and his navigator (Andrea Riseborough) tending machinery on an abandoned, post-apocalyptic Earth so that the planet’s natural resources can continue to be harvested for the human refugees who now inhabit Saturn’s moon Titan. The unexpected arrival of a space traveler (Olga Kurylenko) from an earlier era, however, as well as an encounter with a group of guerilla freedom fighters (led by Morgan Freeman) prompt the inquisitive repairman to question whether things are really as they seem. Large-scale landscapes and shiny gadgets make for arresting visuals in director Joseph Kosinski’s adaptation of his own graphic novel. But his emotionally shallow story is further undermined by logical lapses and some dubious philosophizing. Ethical complexities, moreover, make his film unsuitable for young or impressionable viewers.

Watch out for: An objectively immoral living arrangement, a scene of sensuality with shadowy rear and partial nudity, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one rough term, and a smattering of crude and crass language.

Rated: A-III – adults; MPAA: PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Related Articles