Second-time director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy), whose visuals were clearly the best part of his first film, produces another eye-popping genre film with Oblivion. After having seen the theatrical release, I was very curious to see how I felt on a second viewing, since the general consensus critically was very divided.
Check out my original review here.
[pullquote_left]If nothing else, the film is stunningly translated to Blu-Ray.[/pullquote_left]My opinion hasn’t changed a whole lot from my original thoughts, and I still find Oblivion to be a heavily flawed movie, but with a few different choices or fleshed out ideas could have a been one of the better sci-fi films in recent memory. If nothing else, the film is stunningly translated to Blu-Ray and is one of the sharper looking films I’ve watched at home in a while. Kosinski really knows how to frame genre films and if he can get some help in the script department, his career is bursting with potential.
[pullquote_right]They really did a nice job of letting viewers into the world of creating a movie of this scale.[/pullquote_right]While Oblivion may fall shy of being all that it could have been, the special features on the Blu-Ray definitely provide the audience with tons of very confident material that explores the process of making the film. One of the most extensive is the audio commentary from Joseph Kosinski and Tom Cruise where they meticulously cover almost every element of the production, from deciding when to use CG compared to practical effects and Kosinski’s pitches to get the film made.
In addition, there’s a fascinating five-part “making of” documentary that digs even deeper into different aspects of creating the world of Oblivion. It’s almost all a bit overkill, but they really did a nice job of letting viewers into the world of creating a movie of this scale from on-location shooting in Iceland, to designing the ships, to stunts and effects and even the soundtrack by M83.
Speaking of M83, another special feature includes the isolated score presented in pristine Dolby True HD 5.1 surround, which will definitely satisfy any audiophiles or fans of the band because the quality is excellent. Lastly, there are four deleted scenes that are neat to see, but don’t add anything truly worthwhile to the overall film. If you find yourself on the critical side that did not enjoy the film, watching more scenes like these won’t dissuade your opinion.[pullquote_left]Fans wanting the full Oblivion experience at home will not be disappointed.[/pullquote_left]
Oblivion is brimming with interesting special features for folks that love to really dig into productions of this scale. While the film has some hefty problems, its heart and inspiration are in the right place and it still manages to be a decent sci-fi flick. Fans wanting the full Oblivion experience at home will not be disappointed with the abundance of special features and crystal clear imagery and designs that come along with this solid Blu-Ray release.