Watch: Tom Cruise Is Basically Wall-E In First Trailer For 'Oblivion'

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by Oliver Lyttelton
December 8, 2012 10:10 AM
17 Comments

With the hope of cementing his comeback, started with "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" (we'll kindly overlook "Rock Of Ages"), and looking to be continued with "Jack Reacher," Tom Cruise is turning to a genre he's generally been a stranger to -- science-fiction. Aside from his two films with Steven Spielberg, "Minority Report" and "War Of The Worlds," Cruise has rarely delved into more fantastical territory, but he's currently filming Doug Liman's "All You Need Is Kill," and is circling another script called "Our Name Is Adam." But first up is "Oblivion," and hot on the the heels of a poster, the film's trailer has leaked online overseas.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski ("Tron Legacy"), the film sees Cruise as a lonely drone repairmen on the remains of an Earth devastated by an alien invasion. But when he rescues a beautiful woman (Olga Kurylenko) from a crashed ship, he soon uncovers secrets that call into question everything he knows. The early parts of the trailer are curiously reminiscent of Pixar's "Wall-E," though things seem to get more action-packed once he encounters Morgan Freeman's goggled resistance leader.

There are certainly some impressive visuals, as you might expect from Kosinski -- we like the sterile, bright look of the film, a more unusual take on the apocalypse that we've generally seen. But the promo isn't doing a great job of telling the story, which seems to be a muddled mix of "I Am Legend," "Twelve Monkeys," "Solaris" and "Terminator Salvation," with plenty of other sci-fi influences in there too. There's nothing here that immediately demonstrates why it's worth the price of a ticket for anyone that isn't a die-hard Cruise fan or an indiscriminating sci-fi geek.

Still, the cast, which also includes a meaty role for Andrea Riseborough, along with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Melissa Leo, is strong, and with script polishes from Oscar-winners William Monahan ("The Departed") and Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3," the upcoming "Star Wars Episode VII"), there's hope that this could be something special. And M83 are doing the score, so it should at least sound great. Let us know what you think of the trailer below, and you can catch "Oblivion" on IMAX theaters from April 12, 2013 before it goes wide on April 19, 2013.

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More: Oblivion, Tom Cruise, Film Trailers

17 Comments

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Robin | December 17, 2012 5:17 PMReply

Call me a Geek, but it looks impressive. Not a fan of the Man, but Cruise more than occasionally rises to his material. I'll go see it in the theater, simply because this one looks like a 'do not watch at home but in theater' piece of film. Wide screen. Worth it if for nothing else other than the Visuals. Nice prod value,
Bogart | December 10, 2012 3:47 AMReply

It's like The 5th Element lost it's sense of humour and had sex with an iPod... still, it does look pretty.
Sean | December 9, 2012 2:49 PMReply

Wow. Im very impressed not gonna lie. Original concept great visuals more like stunning visuals (I mean imagine this in IMAX...) & the idea/plot seems very cool. Def a big budget film so I know they tried hard to get things right... & With the incredible succes of Prometheus ( although that was "somehwat" apart of a well established & known series) this def borders along those lines.... I dont see why this wont be a massive hit, at least I hope so.
Real | December 9, 2012 8:04 AMReply

Good trailer and it leaves something to the imagination which I appreciate. It's a relief to see an original concept in a big budget movie too.
MimiNicoleKatieGotOutSoCanWe | December 8, 2012 9:29 PMReply

Can't say I'm excited and I love sic-fi. It's just more of Tom's inner-Scientologist crap acting out on the big screen. Embarrassing.
Rebeca Morning Sunset | December 9, 2012 1:41 PM

A few bad women!!!
Jack Nicholson | December 9, 2012 1:35 PM

Do u' want answers??? Yes we want OBLIVION. Charlie Harper is cousin of Jack Harper? OOOHH...in LEGEND...was Jack. Third Jack. And third time with hat of NY. (Afewgoodmen and Waroftheworlds)
MJ | December 8, 2012 3:40 PMReply

Perhaps it isn't doing a 'great job at telling the story' because it doesn't want to tell the entire story in the trailer? A novel concept marketing seems to have gone back to for much of 2012. It gives us the exposition and the mood, and leaves the story for the audience to experience when they actually see the movie.
cirkusfolk | December 8, 2012 2:05 PMReply

So his name is Jack Harper in this right after he plays Jack Reacher?
Daniel | December 8, 2012 6:42 PM

Future Cruise projects:
Hap Jarper
Reap Jacker
Jar Carper
Jeep Wrangler
kitcon | December 8, 2012 12:35 PMReply

Perhaps the release of promos is dictated by the schedule but seeing this before Jack Reacher hits theaters is almost like being asked what I want for dinner before I've had lunch.
sam | December 8, 2012 7:17 PM

good call.
this might even look better than the Reacher movie. (ugh.)
Dromedario | December 8, 2012 12:23 PMReply

Come on! It's good trailer. First is original. No sequel. Second...all movies today are movies with sides of other movies. If you are a supergreatmoviegoer or a 1000movies-at-home per year...you can see that. For me the worst is the look. It's very common. Remember: SCIENCE FICTION MUST BE the NEW WESTERN.
Robin | December 17, 2012 5:21 PM

Yes, D, an original. Not "Reboot, the Reboot Sequel."

Maybe it's not as original as the trailer looks, but it still looks good.
lizabeth | December 8, 2012 12:17 PMReply

look over Rock of Ages? He was FANTASTIC in his role!
MJ | December 8, 2012 3:42 PM

Regardless of your take on his performance, the writer was talking about the status of Cruise' box office comeback, choosing to ignore the underperformance of a film with Cruise in a supporting role in the grand scheme of things.
Adam Scott Thompson | December 8, 2012 11:12 AMReply

I enjoyed the poster more than the trailer. We'll see... Cruise has got that intensity that can either make or break a film.