Oblivion

Oblivion (2013)

Predicted Rating: 2.5 stars

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy). Starring: Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible), Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption), and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace)

Set in the year 2077, 60 years after the Earth was invaded by a race of aliens known as Scavengers (Scavs), Oblivion sees the Earth left a deserted wasteland. After the moon is destroyed, the human race is forced to flee to the moon Titan even though the human race had defeated the Scavs. After having their memory wiped, Jack Harper (Cruise) and his communications officer, Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), are stationed on the planet to maintain the machines designed to harness energy from the Earth's ocean and repair the drones that are use to patrol the area and destroy the remaining Scavs. Jack is constantly haunted by a woman in his dreams that appears to have some link to his past (Kurylenko). After a mysterious object crashes nearby, Jack discovers that it is a human space ship inhabited by the woman from his dreams. From this point forward, the events from the past are revealed...

Well tie me down and call me Sally, I did not expect that at all. Going into the movie I expected a mundane Sci-Fi movie and even twenty minutes in I just expected Oblivion to go through the motions and end in the same direction it started. It actually did everything but. It had more twists and turns that Chubby Checker in a blender. Maybe I enjoyed it more because I wasn't expecting a monumental plot twist (and I am sorry I have just ruined the mystery for everyone now). I don't mean to brag but I am reasonably good at picking plot twists when I know there is one coming. I picked maybe the three most infamous plot twists, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, and Sleepaway Camp, during the movie on the basis that there was going to be one. As I was not expecting one in Oblivion, it hit me in the face like a rogue salmon. This made this film an intellectual thrill ride as you had no idea what was going to happen next and just as you thought you worked everything out, it completely changed direction once more.

One word I was reluctant in using in the above accolade was original. On the surface, Oblivion appears an innovative and ground breaking piece of Sci-Fi folklore. However, when you dig down further you find out it is essentially a mash-up of themes and story lines from other Sci-Fi classics. Jack having a recurring dream about a woman from his past is very similar to what is explored in Brazil. The lone man fighting against a unknown army on a post-apocalyptic Earth is the same story line as The Omega Man. This one is being a bit pedantic but during the film there was an image of the Statue of Liberty shown which is a firm reminder that if the world does end, stay away from the statue as the image has been used in countless disaster movies including Cloverfield, The Day After Tomorrow, Escape from New York, and most infamously, Planet of the Apes. There are also two glaringly obvious plots that are borrowed but I will not reveal them as they will give away the ending. I know it is hard to be original in today's Sci-Fi, well in any genre really, but Oblivion pushes the line of blatant plagiarism at times.

After finishing the movie, I was unsure whether this movie would, excuse the pun, fade into oblivion like so many other Sci-Fi's. Many Sci-Fi's, such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Blade Runner, stay in movie folklore for a long time and are enjoyed by generations to come. Other films, such as Dune, Lifeforce, and Cocoon, whilst being good films, seem to come and go like the bus. Oblivion appears to be stuck in the middle. It is to commercial to become a cult classic and it is too intellectual to become a commercial success. Unfortunately, the formula seems to be that if your Sci-Fi has a one word title it will be long forgotten. Oblivion appears to be destined for the same fate as its one word predecessors.

Overall: A highly enjoyable intellectual thrill ride that pays homage to many Sci-Fi classics, 3.5 stars. Thumbs up - go and see this movie.

Next Time: Unfortunately I will be on a six week hiatus meaning that I miss out on such movies as The Hangover III, Fast and the Furious 6, The Great Gatsby, Iron Man 3 and most disappointingly The Evil Dead and Star Trek Into Darkness. Hopefully I can watch these when I return.

Jurassic Park 3D

Jurassic Park (1993)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Schindler's List). Starring: Sam Neill (The Hunt for Red October), Laura Dern (Blue Velvet) and Jeff Goldblum (The Fly).

Slightly kooky businessman John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) discovers how to clone dinosaurs from fossilised mosquitoes and decides that it is a good idea to make a theme park featuring them. In order to keep some pesky lawyers off his back, Hammond employs the help of paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Neill), paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern), and wise talking chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) to endorse his park. In a freak tropical storm, computer programmer Dennis Nedry (a very funny Wayne Knight) shuts down the park's security system to steal the dinosaur embryos. Meanwhile Grant, Sattler and Malcolm along with Hammond's two grandchildren, Lex and Tim, are stuck outside the T-Rex enclosure. As the security system is shut down, the T-Rex escapes causing Malcolm to become injured and child hating Grant, Lex, and Tim to be stuck inside the park. It is now a race against time to restart the security system, rescue Grant and the kids, and fight off the T-Rex, Velociraptors and friends.

Now we should all know by now that Jurassic Park is one of the greatest movies ever made so there is no point me reviewing the actual movie. As a result I will look at how well the film transferred to 3-D, whether the special effects still hold up today, and the overall viewing experience.

Those devoted readers of this blog will know that I am not a fan of 3D movies. They are well and truly overdone, they seem tacky most of the time, and wearing those glasses for two hours straight is damn-well annoying. So you may ask, why would I spend an exuberant amount of money to potentially ruin one of my favourite movies of all time as opposed to watching it one more time on DVD in the comfort of my bedroom? I will answer that question with another question, can you think of any other classic movie that would be more suited to a 3D conversion? The only other film that could be considered would be Independence Day.  As a result, this was the most enjoyable 3D experience I have had. The transfer wasn't perfect as there were occasions when I had to adjust my glasses because there were two Richard Attenboroughs on the screen. Other than that I was pleasantly surprised. The question is, does the 3D add anything to the experience? I am going to say yes for once. If you are as a big of a fan of Jurassic Park as I am, you will have a massive smile on your face the entire viewing even though you have seen the movie several times before. It is well worth a viewing on the big screen just to hear the T-Rex roar at an ear splitting volume.

It is hard to believe that this movie is 20 years old, so the question is, do the special effects still hold up today? Some movies, such as Blade Runner, have special effects that will still wow you today, whilst other movies, such as Tron and Escape from New York, while still are fantastic movies, have aged terribly. It is fortunate to say that Jurassic Park would not look out of place if it was released today. Twenty years ago, Jurassic Park was a technological marvel. Even though the performances of Goldblum and Knight are marvellous, it is the dinosaurs that are the star of the show. It took the genius of Spielberg to bring them to life but my word do they steal the spotlight. I have recently watched this movie at home on my relatively small TV but the tough question is whether Jurassic Park holds it's own on a big 10 m by 10 m screen. Fortunately the answer is yes.

I would like to share something with you all that I saw when leaving the cinema. Upon exiting, I realised that there was a blind woman at the screening. This got me thinking, Jurassic Park would be an amazing film to sit through if you couldn't see. You could make anything of the scene when you hear people panicking when the power goes down to it finally culminating into the roar from the T-Rex. The lady was probably scared out of her mind but it would have been a fantastic experience for her.

Unfortunately, I think this cinematic run lasts for only a week so you will not be able to go see Jurassic Park in the cinema, otherwise I would strongly recommend you do. As an alternative, I propose grabbing the Blu-Ray, finding the biggest TV you can, turn up the volume as loud as you can, and enjoy a fantastic movie.

Film: Top 100 ever made
Transfer: 4 Stars

Next Time: Tom Cruise still thinking he is in his 20's, Oblivion

 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012)

Predicted Rating: 1.5 Stars

Directed by: Jon M. Chu. Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Walking Tall), kind of Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) and sort of Bruce Willis (Die Hard).

Set after the events of the 2009 shamble, G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, G.I. Joe: Retaliation sees the Joes, now lead by Duke (Tatum) and his deputy, Roadblock (Johnson), infiltrate a military base in Pakistan with their mission to seize their nuclear weapons. The Joes are then framed for the murder of the Pakistan President and are attacked immediately after the mission, ultimately ending in the death of Duke. It is revealed that the President of the USA has been captured and impersonated by master of disguise, Zartan. He sets out to free Cobra Commander and Sir Not Appearing in this Film, i.e. Destro, from a maximum security prison to fulfil the ultimate goal of destroying the world. Roadblock enlists the help of former Joe, General Joseph Colton (Willis), to destroy Cobra Commander and save the world.

If you are looking for a film to challenge your mind and break boundaries, this is not the film for you. It is about as intelligent as the cast from the Jersey Shore. Well that was a bit harsh but it was the only analogy I could think of. The plot is as easy to follow as a fat guy who is running away with your stuff and the dialect appeared to be written by a two year old. However, the thing that was most disconcerting about this film was the insistence of constantly repeating the characters name. It is not just a repetition though, it is a pure emphasis. Don't you agree ROADBLOCK. Yes I do SNAKE EYES. Yes I remembered your name the first time you mentioned it.

After the disappointment of the first instalment of this series, it was definitely time to call in the cavalry and there are no two bigger names in action movies that The Rock and Bruce Willis. The Rock is starting to develop a habit for answering the call to save franchises. He almost single handily resurrected the Fast and the Furious by appearing in Fast 5. He then essentially added some renewed interest for the hillbillies in WWE. Then there is Bruce Willis. His appearance could add some credibility to even the worst of movie franchises, that's right his appearance would even make me consider watching a Twilight film. So the question is, do they make G.I. Joe: Retaliation a good film? The answer is probably no. However, without their appearance, it would be even more of a shamozle than it already is, causing it to lose a heap of money. So in the end, this was a very, very wise move by the producers.

When I was watching the film, I knew that there was something slightly wrong with the direction but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. There were some very good action scenes, such as the one where they are fighting on the mountainside, that would look fantastic on paper, but didn't really translate onto the screen. As a normal part of my review, I consult the very reliable source of Wikipedia to determine what other films our director has been involved in. Upon reading the profile of Jon M. Chu, I soon realised why I was slightly put off. His credits contained not one, but two Step Up movies and what was even worse, he directed the Justin Bieber movie. Really! Allowing those to appear on your Wikipedia page is like completing a Chemistry degree at uni and putting on your resume that you worked at the strippers to fund your way through uni. What was even worse was that I found out he is slated to direct a new Masters of the Universe film. The only thing that could save that now is that Dolph Lundgren reprises his role as He-Man.

In the end this is a reasonably dull and standard action film. It really just goes through the motions and adds nothing new to the genre. Even the additions of Bruce Willis and The Rock seem to obvious and cliche'. Something that would have added a bit of spice to the film would be including the dubbed G.I. Joe public service announcements that have been around on the interwebs for a while. If you haven't seen them before make sure you look them up, they are a good laugh.

Overall: Things blow up, people get shot. 2 Stars

Next Time: I am super excited about Jurassic Park, one of the best movies ever made, being re-released in cinemas so I am watching that just to hear the T-Rex roar in surround sound.