Moon and Oblivion are two highly-acclaimed sci-fi thrillers with loads of twists and great performances that are now available to stream.
As mentioned in the Lost in Space trailer review, I’ve been on a bit of a sci-fi kick lately which has included the classics Predator and Aliens, and more recently Moon (available on Netflix) and Oblivion (available on FX Now). Moon was a new watch for me, but it’s a movie that’s been on my radar for quite some time. Between being highly-rated on IMDb and starring Sam Rockwell, it was long overdue that I watch it.
MOON
For those who don’t know, Moon takes place in the distant future where Rockwell is working on the Moon (go figure) for a 3-year contract. He harvests a certain energy, helium-3, that is fundamental to the Earth’s survival. The only contact that Rockwell has while isolated up there is a robot named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), and recorded video messages from his wife. As Sam nears the end of his 3-year contract, he starts to question his sanity as he loses his grip on reality, and crashes a vehicle into one of the harvesters. Upon awakening in the base with no recollection of the accident, Sam is in for a shock when he visits the crash sight that changes the course of everything.
Moon is good. I didn’t do any research into the plot beforehand, so I came in pretty blind. There is a significant twist about halfway through the movie that sets the course for everything, and I was completely caught off guard by it. Rockwell does an amazing job as virtually the only actor carrying the movie, which is a huge task to take on. At that point you virtually have the entire weight and success of the movie falling on your shoulders, no pressure. Without a convincing performance from him the movie could’ve easily crumbled, but luckily for us viewers that is not the case.
READ MORE: That Moment In Moon When Sam Learns He’s Not Alone
I do have a couple of gripes with the movie. One is that the twist happens too early for me. This might be overly critical, but I like when my twists happen near the end of movies, if not at the very end. I enjoy seeing the credits pop up while my heart is still racing and my head still spinning trying to comprehend what I’ve just witnessed. Also, with the twist being so early, the entire time I was sitting around waiting for another one, which never came. I think the movie could’ve used one more ‘gotcha’ at the end to throw the audience through a loop. My other gripe is that not a ton really happens. The entire movie is based around Sam coming to terms with the truth of his existence. I could’ve used a little more than that. Maybe sneak in a problem with the space station that he’s trying to fix, or throw some aliens in there. Why not? It just felt like the movie could’ve used a subplot of sorts. Overall, I would say Moon is a solid flick. It’s worth the watch even just to enjoy Rockwell’s performance.
OBLIVION
Now the other movie, Oblivion, is not new to me. I’ve probably seen it somewhere between five and ten times. It has yet to even come close to getting old for me. Overall, it didn’t really flourish at the domestic box office, but I think that’s because star Tom Cruise might still be getting blackballed by everyone for the couch jumping and Scientology.
Jack Harper (Cruise) lives on Earth handling drone maintenance. The world as we know it has come to an end after the evil Scavs attacked Earth and blew up the moon. Chaos ensued and the planet was forced to evacuate. Jack stayed behind with his domestic partner, Vika (Andrea Riseborough), to keep these drones running that protect giant machines that turn ocean water into energy and supports the people who escaped into space. Jack and Vika will soon finish their shift on Earth and join the rest of humanity in space. Jack isn’t ready to leave yet because something feels off to him, and he keeps having these visions of being in New York with another woman. One night Jack sees a spaceship crash land not far from his base, and upon investigating finds the woman of his dreams onboard in a cryogenic sleep chamber. From here on out, things spin out of control and Jack begins to question his actual purpose on Earth.
There’s way more to the plot than that, but it should at least provide some background. I’ve got to give a huge shoutout to director Joseph Kosinski and to the crew he worked with. The visual effects in this movie are very, very good, I had to double check on IMDb on whether or not they were nominated for an Oscar (they weren’t, appalling). The scenery that they use for when Tom is CRUISE-ing (had to) around Earth in his spaceship looks so vast and desolate, but beautiful at the same time. Really tastefully done. Along the same lines the sound is unbelievable as well. If you watch this with surround sound you’re in for a treat, as I vividly remember it being an amazing theater experience. The music in the movie has a Stranger Things, mystery 80’s vibe and fits perfectly.
READ MORE: That Moment In Oblivion When Jack Meets Jack
Cruise is arguably the driving force that makes this movie work. He gives 100% of himself to this one, and if he didn’t, the movie would suffer. By all means it’s a far fetched sci-fi movie, but it’s the energy and seriousness with which he brings to the role that makes you really buy into it. The supporting cast is great as well. Andrea Riseborough plays the by the rules, slightly annoying, domestic partner/air traffic controller. Olga Kurylenko plays the mysterious dream girl. And Morgan Freeman and Nikolaj Coster Waldau pop up as well (I won’t say more about their roles for fear of spoilers, but they’re awesome. You get some great Morgan Freeman monologues). It just seemed like everyone was truly dedicated to making this movie a success, and I think they did. In addition to the commitment of the acting, another aspect that really sucks me into Oblivion is great action. You’ve got Tom fighting for his life against Scavs in the ruins of an old library, then next thing you know he’s flying around battling drones. It’s all very well done and keeps you on the edge of your seat. They don’t over do the action because it’s still mainly about the mystery of the story, but it helps invigorate things and really drive that entertainment factor.
So there ya go, two solidly entertaining sci-fi movies. There are actually some pretty big similarities to each, but each plot twists leads in a different direction. I would highly recommend watching one after the other to fully appreciates all the similarities and differences. Enjoy!