OBLIVION – The Blu Review

Yes, it borrowed lots from other films (especially MOON and TOTAL RECALL) that provided more satisfying results and sure, it had some major plot holes. Yes, there was the obligatory futuristic dwelling with impossibly gleaming floors and silly modern furniture, but OBLIVION was simply a well-made and intelligent sci-fi epic, and that’s a rare beast these days. It could have used a little editing to tighten and better set up the big plot surprise, but it was still  enjoyable science fiction worth seeing on the big screen thanks to great performances from its cast (Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough) that make the most of their characters and the gigantic canvas that the film was set against (you can read Jim Batts’s WAMG review HERE, though Jim liked it less than I did). Since it’s too late to see it on the IMAX, you’ll have to settle for Universal’s impressive new Blu-ray release.

This Blu-ray delivers a stunning 2.40:1 1080p image that is flawless in every perceivable way. The first thing that struck me about this disc is the wonderful amount of contrast between the various scenes. Colors are bold, clarity and detail is consistently worthy of a dropped jaw, and in culmination with immaculate black and contrast levels, there’s an impressive amount of depth to the characters on screen. Not only that, but the CGI is top-notch meaning the detailing was so good, the CGI backdrops themselves often helped lend to the illusion of depth, but after listening to the director’s commentary, I was surprised to learn that much of this wasn’t CGI at all, but actual Iceland location work. Seriously, if there’s one thing about OBLIVION that truly excels, it’s the visuals. If you can swallow this film for the action scenes alone and won’t be soured by how familiar they all feel, you’re likely to have a blast with this reference quality disc. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is equally impressive.

Extras:

• Audio Commentary – Tom Cruise teams up with director Joseph Kosinski (whose graphic novel is the story’ source) for a lively and informative chat. Cruise has always been involved in many aspects of his films and that shows here. He often sounds like more of a producer than an actor and knows an impressive amount of details about cameras and other tech specs. As the film progresses, there are more and more empty spaces here though.

• Destiny – an eleven minute talk with director Joseph Kosinski who discusses the genesis of his ideas and how they made it to the big screen,

• Harmony– a 6-minute doc about the film’s score.

• Illusion – a 6-minute special effects featurette that I wish had been longer.

• Deleted Scenes – There are two running a total of four minutes. One features Victoria and Jack explaining the healing technology they have, and another is a scene in the stadium. Both are good scenes that may have added some detail to parts of the story that may have seemed unclear.

The Blu-ray is accompanied by its DVD counterpart, which also gives you access to the UltraViolet Digital Copy.

OBLIVION will be released on Blu-ray August 6th