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# Review: Oblivion (2013)
- URL: https://balaustine.mymagic.page/review-oblivion-2013/
- Published: 2019-08-04T19:53:58.000Z
- Updated: 2019-08-04T19:53:58.000Z
- Author: VM
- Tags: Culture, Armageddon, Arrival, dystopia, I Robot, Jamie Lannister, Morgan Freeman, Portal 2, Prometheus, Star Trek Beyond, Tom Cruise, #Migrated-1787483357778, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-23 11:09

**Spoilers ahead**

Just watched *Oblivion* (2013), starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman and Jamie Lannister. It was a collection of tropes strung together.

Sweeping, desolate landscapes intercalated with sleek metallic machines. Lots of smoke and vapour. Use of spartan colour palette. Another example: *Arrival*.

Music like it’s by Vangelis but dressed up for the 21st century, raw, poverty of tones. Another example: *Blade Runner 2049*.

A fascist dystopia at work, post-Earth, protagonist a member of a hierarchical organisation, made to repeat catchphrase as symbol of compliance. Another example: *1984*.

Pre-war souvenirs stowed away in secret lockers together with personal memorabilia. Memories are taboo. Another example: *Equilibrium*.

Why do people go to war with classic rock tracks playing? Why does no one remember electronic music? Another example: *Star Trek: Beyond*.

Unexpected interlopers disrupt a life thought peaceful and perfect, introduce chaos, restore memories and demand you switch sides. Another example: *Captain Marvel*.

Why you? Because you’re curious, you ask questions. You’re The One chosen to lead the people to victory. Another example: *I, Robot*.

The world is dangerous, you’re told. Repeatedly. But you walk past all warning signs and enter the radiation zone. It isn’t deadly at all. Another example: *Portal 2*.

Retaliation begins, often at the rebel stronghold and spreading outwards. There are painful skirmishes. Another example: *Man of Steel*.

But the rebels are secretly working on a Trojan horse, a powerful weapon that can be used only once. Another example: *Armageddon*.

The sleight of hand works and enemy stronghold is blown to bits from within, but a hero + inspiring-speech-guy perish. Another example: *Prometheus*.

The thing is, *Oblivion* was entertaining to watch because it didn’t pretend it was trying to escape any of these tropes, instead diving headlong into them.

It didn’t even avoid the ultra-Freudian finale; this isn’t to say I enjoyed the implied violence, only that *Oblivion* was happy to be unoriginal except in style. To quote from the [review on RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oblivion-2013?ref=balaustine.mymagic.page):

> If nothing else, “Oblivion” will go down in film history as the movie where Tom Cruise pilots a white, sperm-shaped craft into a giant space uterus. The scene is more interesting to describe than it is to watch. Cruise’s sperm-ship enters through an airlock that resembles a geometrized vulva. He arrives inside a massive chamber lined with egg-like glass bubbles. At the center of the chamber is a pulsating, sentient triangle that is also supposed to be some kind of mother figure. Cruise must destroy the mother triangle and her space uterus in order to save the Earth.