This is one of those movies that has all of the elements and pieces to be a fantastic sci-fi film that would be considered a classic. It has all of the elements in there, great actors, great premise, visually interesting world, a nice combination of sci-fi tropes, and a fairly good soundtrack to boot.
The visual design of this movie is definitely one of the strongest points, as Kosinski frequently understands the importance of making interesting and unique worlds to be lived in. One of my favorite examples being the nature of the "Tet" and how they are technically alien but not so advanced that you wouldn't confuse their technology for human technology. In too many sci-fi stories (ignoring space operas) alien technologies have to be super strange, bizarre, or incomprehensible, but in Oblivion the Tet never appear to be too far off from humanity in terms of their technological achievements. Unfortunately, this idea is undermined once we actually see the Tet, as their visual design doesn't quite match their drones but overall it is fairly consistent.
Jack's house is another good example of how something as basic as a "sci-fi house" is taken to a beautiful extreme that is visually appealing while also symbolic of the protagonist's current state. Far too often the aesthetics and the meaning behind the aesthetics in sci-fi is brushed aside for merely "cool visuals" but with this movie there is a bit more thought put into the visuals.
All that being said, it's the little things that hold back this movie from being truly great. There are multiple moments throughout the film that are clearly supposed to be important character moments but they aren't given the weight or priority that is needed to make them truly shine, and then unfortunately there are a lot of moments that seem to be in the movie due to it being an "Action" movie.
For example, there are a couple of action scenes in the film that aren't necessary and seem to be in there for bored audiences who can't stand a sci-fi movie without action. These few action moments stick out like a sore thumb, but fortunately don't ruin the film. Moments like: Jack being chased by three drones, Jack getting hit by lightning, or Jack fighting himself are all relatively unnecessary for the plot and only exist due to the requirements of a summer movie.
There's also a subplot that never gets truly answered, about why the Jack's "command" never sends supplies to him, which is supposed to be answered in the movie's big plot-twist but it never comes around. The ending itself is also a bit weak, as the main villain kind of just lets themselves lose, but it isn't explained as to why. If the movie really wanted to have an interesting ending, they should've extended the ending confrontation with more dialogue and a great explanation as to why the villain is allowing any of this to happen.
Right now I'm kind of rambling, but I do really appreciate the fact that this movie went for a slower and more methodical pace and attempted to bring something new to the table in 2013.
Not perfect, but definitely worth a watch.
The visual design of this movie is definitely one of the strongest points, as Kosinski frequently understands the importance of making interesting and unique worlds to be lived in. One of my favorite examples being the nature of the "Tet" and how they are technically alien but not so advanced that you wouldn't confuse their technology for human technology. In too many sci-fi stories (ignoring space operas) alien technologies have to be super strange, bizarre, or incomprehensible, but in Oblivion the Tet never appear to be too far off from humanity in terms of their technological achievements. Unfortunately, this idea is undermined once we actually see the Tet, as their visual design doesn't quite match their drones but overall it is fairly consistent.
Jack's house is another good example of how something as basic as a "sci-fi house" is taken to a beautiful extreme that is visually appealing while also symbolic of the protagonist's current state. Far too often the aesthetics and the meaning behind the aesthetics in sci-fi is brushed aside for merely "cool visuals" but with this movie there is a bit more thought put into the visuals.
All that being said, it's the little things that hold back this movie from being truly great. There are multiple moments throughout the film that are clearly supposed to be important character moments but they aren't given the weight or priority that is needed to make them truly shine, and then unfortunately there are a lot of moments that seem to be in the movie due to it being an "Action" movie.
For example, there are a couple of action scenes in the film that aren't necessary and seem to be in there for bored audiences who can't stand a sci-fi movie without action. These few action moments stick out like a sore thumb, but fortunately don't ruin the film. Moments like: Jack being chased by three drones, Jack getting hit by lightning, or Jack fighting himself are all relatively unnecessary for the plot and only exist due to the requirements of a summer movie.
There's also a subplot that never gets truly answered, about why the Jack's "command" never sends supplies to him, which is supposed to be answered in the movie's big plot-twist but it never comes around. The ending itself is also a bit weak, as the main villain kind of just lets themselves lose, but it isn't explained as to why. If the movie really wanted to have an interesting ending, they should've extended the ending confrontation with more dialogue and a great explanation as to why the villain is allowing any of this to happen.
Right now I'm kind of rambling, but I do really appreciate the fact that this movie went for a slower and more methodical pace and attempted to bring something new to the table in 2013.
Not perfect, but definitely worth a watch.