Oblivion [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD]

Oblivion begins with a mystery and ends with a bang, but also a satisfying coda. I saw Oblivion in the theater, but did not fully appreciate it until just now at home. The audio has soft parts, with little more than soft wind blowing and bird chirps. In other places, there are combat explosions and gun fire. The multi-track audio includes the default 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio (48 kHz), other languages in lesser, lossy formats, and a music only track in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96 kHz). The modern classical music track is another form of enjoyment that BD can bring to your A/V experience. I found the music wonderful, but for the dialog and effects, one must listen to the main audio track. In the theater, the audio was very loud, while at home, one may choose a pleasing volume level to hear the quality in both soft and loud passages.The story spins out in bits. The main part starts with the two main characters, a drone repairman [Cruise's character] and his female comm officer. As it progresses, you come to understand the situation and characters more, although there are apparent dream sequences and/or flashbacks that are not explained at first. Near the end, in a flashback/blackbox replay sense, the arc of the historical story becomes clear. I have a sense of Bob Seeger's words in "Against the Wind", "what to leave in, what to leave out" about the pacing and content of the film. The extras include several omitted scenes that are interesting for what they additionally disclose about the story, from which one may consider why they were omitted. The director, Pete Hammond, also directed" Tron: Legacy" and was a producer for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", to give some sense of the quality and sensibility of the movie.The superb story starts simply - perhaps even a minimal, mystical sensibility, with the two main characters. Later another female character is discovered, after which the story starts snowballing. To avoid spoilers, I'll add little more. Yet, in how many movies does a quote from ancient Rome, from "Lays of Ancient Rome" by Lord Macaulay, "how can man die better than facing fearful odds," serve both to educate or remind viewers of ancient Rome and advance the story line? This is a smaller story, rather than a grand tale with a cast of thousands. Yet, this is far more than a summer fun, sci-fi shoot-em-up. From the excellent video [note- the palette is somewhat subdued rather than bright Technicolor, to match the story and dystopian, post-war theme], through the fine story and excellent audio, this one is a keeper in my view. Sci-fi is best when it makes one think of possibilities, and this movie has it in spades.

I saw a lot of negative reviews before watching this, and after seeing it, it left me wondering: what the heck do people want?It's so hard anymore to find something that is not derivative of something else coming out of Hollywood. Was the plot completely unique? Not completely. Was it entertaining? Yes, for me it was. It was well executed, the special effects were very good. I thought Tom did a good job, after reading several reviewers that didn't. Some of those reviews were colored by their views on Tom's personal life and religious affinities. Really? I expect actors to entertain me. If I were going to judge an actor by their politics, or world views, I would not enjoy a great many actors and actresses. Similarly, I don't go into a movie looking to find plot holes or continuity errors. I simply go to be entertained. To take my mind off my life.I've amended my original review with the benefit of hindsight. This movie stuck with me, and I've viewed it several times since. For me, it was simply a very well executed movie. And, it was good Sci-Fi. Much better, in my opinion, than a lot of the Sci-Fi that the Hollywood machine has offered lately. I remain surprised by those that rate it so low. I wonder if they're not really fans for the genre, or perhaps movie critic types? My whole family really liked it.So, entertaining? Check. Good acting? Check. Good special effects? Check. Good directing? Check. Good story? Yes, actually it was. It was derivative of other stories that have come before to some extent. But the story had it's own vision. Really, if you're going to whine about it not being completely unique, don't watch Hollywood movies. It was unique enough, for me. It was good Sci-Fi. If you like Sci-Fi (and I love good Sci-Fi), I can't see why you'd come away not at least enjoying it. For me, it was worth it.

Way better than I was expecting, and I was expecting a very good movie. One of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen. Interesting characters and unique plot, with plenty of twists. Wasn't 100% sure how it would end. Very satisfying story. Enough action and humor to keep it interesting. Intriguing plot. I'd rate it 7.5 out of 10 stars. If you like sci-fi stories, this is a must watch.