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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Movies -> 
Oblivion
    2013-05-10  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    《遗落战境》

    Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Risenborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

    Director: Joseph Kosinski

    VISUALLY unimpeachable but only modestly successful otherwise, “Oblivion” further cements the impression that “Tron: Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski knows how to craft a world — as for interesting humans to populate that world ... An empathetic central performance from Tom Cruise as a man protecting a post-apocalyptic Earth lends a little soul to a sombre, tense thriller that needs all the heart it can scavenge.

    Set in the year 2077, “Oblivion” introduces us to an Earth that’s been decimated by nuclear war, the result of a last-ditch effort by humanity to defeat an invading alien army that had previously destroyed the moon. With most of the remaining population now housed on Saturn’s moon of Titan, Jack (Cruise) has been left behind on a floating base to oversee resource extraction from the dying planet with his partner (and lover) Victoria (Andrea Riseborough).

    Jack must be on constant high alert during his reconnaissance missions lest he fall prey to vicious alien scavengers that are still residing on Earth’s surface. Jack and Victoria are mere weeks away from heading to Titan themselves, but Jack has misgivings about leaving Earth behind, especially because he’s plagued by a recurring dream in which he’s walking through a pre-war New York City with a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko).

    Based on a story by Kosinski, “Oblivion” recalls several recent and iconic science-fiction films. But even in its broad outlines, it’s clear that this film is holding some of its cards close to its chest, hinting at Jack’s mysterious past that will unlock a secret about his destiny.

    As Kosinski showed with “Tron: Legacy,” “Oblivion” is strongest when it’s operating in purely cinematic terms, mixing striking visuals with soaring electronic music.

    The first half of this two-hour film is easily the better half, as Kosinski lays out his world and explores how Jack and Victoria go about their work in this sterile, regimented existence. Part of their duties requires them to occasionally check in with an off-planet supervisor, played by Melissa Leo, whose sunny Southern accent suggests that perhaps she’s hiding something underneath her chipper demeanor.

    Alas, “Oblivion” insinuates in several small but somewhat obvious ways that a big discovery awaits Jack, building suspense and expectations that the movie never quite satisfies. To keep matters vague, let us say that they involve Morgan Freeman’s resistance fighter and Kurylenko’s unlikely appearance in the film, but the secrets that these characters hold aren’t particularly surprising or thought-provoking.

    This is where Cruise comes in quite handy. As an actor, he has an effortless charisma and ability to seem empathetic that’s a real blessing for a film that can be solemn to a fault. Cruise portrays Jack as a serious, likeable everyman who has almost a noir-ish bent, jaded by the devastation around him but haunted by a dream he can’t unravel. “Oblivion” could be seen as a detective story with Jack trying to get to the bottom of the nagging questions in his head, and Cruise wisely plays the character with a stripped-down grit.

    The other performances tend toward the one-note, particularly Riseborough as Jack’s enigmatic partner. With an almost eerily perfect beauty, Riseborough intentionally leaves Victoria cold to the touch, making it impossible to know if she’s pursuing her own secret agenda. As for Freeman, his calm gravitas is always welcome, but “Oblivion” doesn’t really push him into any new dramatic terrain.

    Shown in IMAX, “Oblivion” is a gorgeous ocular experience. Kosinski works with his “Tron: Legacy” production designer Darren Gilford and cinematographer Claudio Miranda to create one arresting setting after another. To use the old cliché, the visual ambition of “Oblivion” is so potent that it becomes a character in the movie. Now Kosinski needs to spend more time giving his actual characters an emotional environment that’s just as rich.

    The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen theaters.

    (SD-Agencies)

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