streams of unconsciousness

It is far too easy to bring mediocre expectations to Oblivion, and to be down on the new Tom Cruise SciFi vehicle. Far too easy because, well, it has the vertically-challenged, Scientology-worshipping Mr Cruise in it.

But let’s put our prejudices aside for a few moments and look at the film as a whole.

To name similarities to other SciFi films would be spoileresque so I won’t go there.

But if you have enjoyed the 2009 SciFi film ‘****’ by ****** ***** (no relation), the wooden-actor-led 1999 SciFi epic ‘*** *****’, and, obliquely, the 1989 SciFi thriller ‘Slipstream’, you should love Oblivion. (I mention ‘Slipstream’ in full, here, purely for the similarity to the Oblivion aerial sequences, and not in any way related to the plot).

Oblivion is a big budget film production, that has been lovingly shot and beautifully edited. If you want an example of beautiful (audio) editing, the Procul Harum scene is work of solid gold, the near-seamless musical edit only drops the beat from Whiter Shade of Pale once, and that is the merest falter of just 1/10th of a second.

The aerial sequences are a nice blend of CGI and real-time action (and very reminiscent of the ground-breaking flight sequences in the above mentioned ‘Slipstream’). Oblivion uses a VTOL aircraft, broadly similar to the stunningly visual Brookland Aerospace Optica OA7 that was used in ‘Slipstream’.

(Optica OA7)

So, the plot:
The Oblivion backstory is covered in a succinct voice-over in the opening minutes of the film: Earth has been attacked by alien invaders (Scavs, short for ‘scavengers’). The moon was destroyed in the attack. This event caused earthquakes and tidal waves down on Earth, that shifted land-masses and caused widespread death and destruction.

In the ensuing fight-back, mankind deployed nuclear weapons and beat back the invading Scavs and, in so using nuclear weapons, we won the war but lost the planet (a little bit of sermonising on the whole viability of the nuclear weapon philosophy there).

The environmental cost of the war left behind a devastated planet incapable of supporting mankind. This left humanity with one option, to saddle up, get out of town, and head in the general direction of another place to live. Mankind is all aboard one enormous mothership (The Tet), waiting for our precious oceans, which are required to provide fuel for the massive journey, to be sucked up by…

huge Dysons!

However there are surviving pockets of Scavs still on the surface. They harass the hell out of the general ‘leaving Earth’ operation, so heavily armored drones are deployed to keep the pesky Scavs at bay.

Jack Harper (played by Tom Cruise) is a drone technician and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) is his communications link with the Tet HQ.

There you go. That’s the full story. Or is it? Erm, no. But you’ll have to watch the film for the rest of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Oblivion.

Tom Cruise does what Tom Cruise does, and he does it very well. Andrea Riseborough’s character balances compassion and rule-following with aplomb.

The post, near-apocalyptic, storyline allows some very nice ‘destroyed, but instantly recognisable’ locations to be used as backdrops. And the whole film is (in a belief-suspending-kind-of-way) believable.

Oblivion delivers a nice ride. It isn’t ground-breaking (see ‘****’, ‘*** ******’, etc), and Oblivion isn’t genre-defining. But Oblivion is a big bundle of SciFi fun!

Oblivion: 8/10
(despite it only taking me 28 minutes to guess the plot, the subplot and most of the twists)

Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it.

Seriously.

Don’t. See. It.

GI Joe: Regurgitation is the biggest pile of excrement since, uh, excrement was born.

Or since Keith Lemon first made it on to the British TV screens.

If you don’t know who Keith Lemon is:
a. you are very lucky, and
b. think of a big smelly unfunny piece of excrement – you’ll be in the general ballpark

So where was I?

Oh yes, GI Joe: Reprehensible.

This film is utter garbage.

Only smellier.

It’s so bad it’s not even worth discussing in detail.

So I won’t.

Except to say this one thing, about GI Joe: Raccoon.

Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it. Don’t see it.

A British-made crime/thriller set in London?

I went to see Welcome To The Punch (WTTP) with a massive amount of trepidation. I couldn’t help but remember the shambling vomit-flavoured hangover of a mess (and spectacular failure at the box office) that was The Sweeney.

And yet, despite that awful legacy, I have been looking forward to seeing WTTP for some months.

The story is largely set in the glass-and-chrome underbelly of near-east London, and spells out the ongoing pursuit-based relationship between a cop and a robber.

Yes, WTTP is that binary.

And yet not.

There are so many sub-plots that, at times, the viewer needs to ramp up concentration, to pull back salient details from earlier in the timeline.

The story arc works well – despite some structural flaws – and the film is supported by some extremely slick production and post-production efforts.

The cast is excellent.

Mark Strong is exemplary, James McAvoy puts in a very robust performance and it is almost too easy not to mention a stunning characterisation from Andrea Riseborough.

The thing about WTTP is that this is a British-made, London-based crime thriller that feels… authentic.

Believable.

Where I watched The Sweeney and laughed, then almost cried at the awfulness of that film, the moments of unreality in WTTP are countable on the fingers of, erm, well, one finger, actually.

However, I did laugh – twice – during WTTP. Both laughs intentionally offered up in total delight at excellent examples of gritty, realistic dialogue.

Dialogue aside, WTTP is a very visual film.

It feels as if 60% went in to making the film look good, 30% went in to making it sound good (the audio production and backing are both far above average); but only 10% went in to the – at times clunky – at times witty – wordplay.

WTTP feels like an updated, 21st Century version of the kind of film that The Sweeney should have been (and failed to achieve, so spectacularly).

The Canary Wharf locations look stunning – beautifully lit, and excellently filmed – and they add a final glossy sheen to this 21st Century, London-based, crime/thriller.

Welcome To The Punch. Worth going to see, a blindingly above average film in this genre.
8/10