F1: The Movie is set to race into theaters next week, but Prime Video viewers are doing some last-minute pre-race preparations by watching one of director Joseph Kosinski‘s previous films. Oblivion, the science-fiction thriller Koskinski made in 2013 with Tom Cruise, has climbed up to #4 on the Prime Video charts. Oblivion was Kosinski’s sophomore effort, coming three years after he made his film debut with Tron: Legacy.
Oblivion was a financial success, making $286 million USD on a $120 million budget, although reviews were mixed. It currently holds a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s Matt Goldberg landed on the negative side. In his review, he criticizes the film for being “more concerned with its gorgeous visuals and rousing score while the emotions become lost in a shuffle of reveals and fragmented ideas.” The film turned out to be a prelude for Kosinski and Cruise’s next collaboration, Top Gun: Maverick, which busted the box office and saved the post-pandemic theatrical industry.
What Is ‘Oblivion’ About?
It is the year 2077. 60 years ago, the alien Scavengers attacked Earth, rendering it nearly uninhabitable. Now, as humanity has relocated to Saturn’s moon Titan, there are only two humans left on Earth: Jack Harper (Cruise) and Vika Olsen (Andrea Riseborough). They’re there to supervise the conversion of Earth’s remaining resources into fuel for the Tet, the last colony ship in orbit, and to combat the remaining Scavengers. He and Vika live a happy life together, although he has troubling, mysterious memories of Earth’s past.
Jack’s life is turned upside down when he discovers a pod with a mystery woman inside (Olga Kurylenko). Soon, everything he thought he knew turns out to be a lie, and his only salvation may be in the hands of the Scavengers, who turn out to be human and are led by a veteran soldier, Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman). The film boasts eye-popping special effects, cinematography by Oscar-winner Claudio Miranda, and an electronic score by French techno-wizards M83.
Kosinski’s next film is F1: The Movie, which stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver-turned-cabbie who’s coaxed out of retirement to mentor hotshot driver Noah Pearce (Damson Idris). Next up for Kosinski is a movie on UAP (or unidentified anomalous phenomena), followed by a new big-screen version of Miami Vice.
Oblivion is now streaming on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
