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Visually striking but thinly scripted, Oblivion benefits greatly from its strong production values and an excellent performance from Tom Cruise.

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If nothing else, "Oblivion" will go down in film history as the movie where Tom Cruise pilots a white, sperm-shaped craft into a giant space uterus. The scene is more interesting to describe than it is to watch. Cruise's sperm-ship enters through an airlock that resembles a geometrized vulva. He arrives inside a massive chamber lined with egg-like glass bubbles. At the center of the chamber is a pulsating, sentient triangle that is also supposed to be some kind of mother figure. Cruise must destroy the mother triangle and her space uterus in order to save the Earth.

Like director Joseph Kosinski's debut, " Tron: Legacy " (2010), "Oblivion" is a special effects extravaganza with a lot of blatant symbolism and very little meaning. It starts slow, turns dull and then becomes tedious — which makes it a marginal improvement over the earlier film. It features shiny surfaces, clicky machinery and no recognizable human behavior. It's equally ambitious and gormless.

"Oblivion" is set in the year 2077, 60 years after an alien invasion rendered the Earth largely uninhabitable. Cruise stars as Jack Harper, one of a handful of people left on the planet. The other survivors have long since relocated to Titan. Harper and colleagues remain as technicians, servicing robot drones that defend resource-gathering stations from alien stragglers.

Harper lives in a penthouse-like tower with his communications officer, Vica ( Andrea Riseborough ). Vica's eyes are permanently dilated. Like Olivia Wilde 's Quorra in " Tron: Legacy ," she often resembles a marionette.

Harper and Vica spend their days fixing drones, eating candelit dinners, and swimming in a glass-bottomed pool. Their boss, the creepily cheerful Sally ( Melissa Leo ), supervises them from an orbiting control center. In order to maintain the integrity of the mission, Harper and Vica's memories have been wiped; nonetheless, Harper is haunted by extremely cheesy black-and-white dreams of a beautiful woman meeting him in pre-invasion New York.

One day, Harper spots an antique spacecraft crashing into the countryside. He manages to rescue one survivor, a Russian astronaut ( Olga Kurylenko ) who looks exactly like the woman in his dreams. Harper brings her back to his tower. This incites jealousy and suspicion from Vica, who is both Harper's partner and his lover.

The astronaut has been in cryogenic sleep for the past six decades but refuses to disclose the nature of her mission to Harper and Vica until they recover her flight recorder. It goes without saying that the flight recorder unearths all kinds of secrets about Harper, Vica, and the alien invasion. It also creates one of the movie's more glaring logical errors, but that's a different story altogether.

The film's opening stretch is its one strong point —  a gradual, immersive build-up of details. It's a smart technique for science-fiction storytelling; it eases the viewer into the world of the film. The problem is that the world "Oblivion" introduces — an abandoned, depopulated Earth — is more interesting than the story it tells. Or, more accurately, the stories it tells, because "Oblivion," derivative to a fault, tries to be several science-fiction movies at once. It tries and it fails.

"Oblivion" is a political allegory about a lowly "technician" sending unmanned drones to hunt and kill a demonized, alien Other — until it forgets that it ever was. It's a wannabe mindbender that raises questions about its lead character's identity — except that the lead character is too sketchy to make these questions compelling. It's a story about humans struggling for survival in an environment controlled by technology — except it appears to be much more interested in the technology than in the humans. It's a rah-rah action flick — except its action scenes aren't very good.

The only thread "Oblivion" follows to the end is its "creation myth." Harper is an idealized man; he's good with a gun, good with his hands, good in bed, loves football and rides a motorcycle. Though most of the movie's characters are women, not one of them is able to do anything without Harper's help — not even the mother triangle that lives in the space uterus. Only his rugged-but-sensitive masculinity holds the key to humanity's survival. The movie reaches for profundity, but all it grasps is misogyny.

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Oblivion (2013)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity

126 minutes

Tom Cruise as Jack

Morgan Freeman as Beech

Olga Kurylenko as Julia

Andrea Riseborough as Victoria

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Sykes

Melissa Leo as Sally

• Joseph Kosinski
• Karl Gajdusek
• Michael Arndt

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score

There’s no denying that Oblivion is derivative.... But director Joseph Kosinski, adapting his own graphic novel, sure knows how to make it look beautiful and evocative.

Oblivion’s characters do little more than service the puzzle-based plot, leaving the sometimes predictable dialogue to the actors to enhance.

The eye-popping visuals help create a futuristic wonder, and the Iceland locations give a perfect sense of desolation.

A grab bag of ancient (in movie terms) sci-fi ideas, Oblivion is a sharp-looking film that will, through its own paucity of invention, be quickly consigned to history.

Filled with amazing post-apocalyptic spectacle, dazzling action sequences, and a heady story of twists and turns, the challenge of "Oblivion" is whether or not you, as the audience, can allow the strong visuals to make up for the weak narrative.

A competently made sci-fi action movie - something that can't be said about the majority of the genre.

Visually arresting and in moments exquisite.

On a pure surface level, the film is well made ... but this seems like it was aimed at an audience that has never seen a science fiction film before.

Because Oblivion borrows heavily from other sci-fi films, it lacks distinction in making the film truly it's own.

Oblivion may be a masterwork on the visual side, but it is a complete void in every other arena.

Additional Info

• Genre : Sci-Fi, Action
• Release Date : April 19, 2013
• Languages : English
• Captions : English
• Audio Format : 5.1

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Joeseph Kosinski 's new Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman  starrer  Oblivion is the rarest of all things, a big budget scifi film aimed squarely at adults. While the trailers might seem like they give away the whole movie, I assure you they only scratch the surface. Things get really weird and far more ambitious than the I Am Legend -style one sheet implies.

Last week Collider sat down with Freeman to discuss his small but pivotal role.  During the interview, Freeman talked about the difficulty of always being a world leader in films, getting a demotion in Olympus has Fallen , what he looks for in a role, the importance of yawning, how to get a more mellifluous voice and much.

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• Entertainment

Oblivion: 14 Facts About Tom Cruise's 2013 Hit Movie That Are Worth Extracting

Say what you want about Tom Cruise when it comes to anything else, but there is no denying that he has an uncanny ability to find and attach himself to incredibly interesting projects. The talented actor then often uses his star power to help the film become a hit, and "Oblivion," the actor's sci-fi epic from 2013, is no exception. Though Joseph Kosinski was far from an amateur after his work on 2010's "Tron: Legacy," the director was still fairly new, but especially after talking with him, Cruise had all the proof he needed that the production would be a success.

The movie seems rather straightforward at first, following the hero Jack Harper (Cruise) in a somewhat serene post-apocalyptic world after a devastating alien invasion. Though as the tale progresses, the world Jack thought he knew is not what it seems, revealing massive twists and a deeper story of love lost and found beneath it all while the protagonist becomes embroiled in a tense battle for the survival of humankind. Here's everything you didn't know about "Oblivion."

The story was first a graphic novel

When Joseph Kosinski was first developing the story for "Oblivion," the director had no idea it would become an epic sci-fi action flick starring one of Hollywood's top actors. So as he initially wrote it back in 2005, the scale was decreased significantly. In an interview with Collider , he said, "I thought it would be my first film, so I wrote it as a contained cast. The Sky Tower was going to be the main setting. It was always the story of drone repairman Jack Harper and his journey of redemption."

Then in 2007, Kosinski hit a major roadblock as he strove to get the film made when the Writers' Guild went on strike, which forced him to alter his approach and make the tale into a graphic novel. The filmmaker explained to Empire , "It couldn't be written by anyone in the guild so the partnership with Radical Comics allowed me to continue working on the story by developing a series of images and continuing to refine the story more over a period of years." The material created during this period worked great as a pitch for the movie, but unfortunately, fans of "Oblivion" and comics will never get to see a finished product — Kosinski was only ever really interested in making the film, and he achieved that goal.

The director wanted to bring sci-fi back into the daylight

While Joseph Kosinski was growing up during the 1960s and '70s, the sci-fi classics that he loved to watch were bright and often colorful, such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Planet of the Apes," and "Star Wars," so that older style was heavily influential to the distinctive look of "Oblivion." When talking with Collider , he explained, "It felt like in the [1980s], after 'Alien,' which is one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, science fiction went into a very dark place of deep space and dark ships, and I liked the idea of bringing science fiction back out into the daylight."

Additionally, Kosinski told /Film he was inspired by the vivid illustrations of artists from his childhood like Chris Foss and Peter Elson. The result is a fascinating spectacle on screen, with the bright aesthetic overlapping a grim storyline that takes place after a cataclysmic invasion. The director told Collider, "I thought we've seen so many dusty, gray, green-brown post-apocalyptic worlds. It'd be fun to see something with some color and daylight and brightness and this world above the clouds."

Oblivion was Anthony Gonzalez's first time composing a film score

Joseph Kosinski did not just strive to create a standout look for "Oblivion"; he also wanted an original soundtrack to match, and he knew exactly where to look. Electronic music star Anthony Gonzalez of M83 had never worked on a film before, but Kosinski knew he was the right person for the job and convinced him to take it on. As the director revealed to Collider , he literally listened to the group's music while developing the story, so it would have been difficult to accept a score written by anyone else.

Ultimately, Gonzalez was pleased with what he and his co-composer, Joseph Trapanese, were able to produce, but it did not come easy. When interviewed by Pitchfork , he admitted, "It took us one year to work on 'Oblivion' with Joseph Trapanese, and I've been through all types of emotions. I almost quit. I couldn't sleep. I was so stressed out. I was on the verge of breaking down. We were touring a lot and I had to work on this at the same time." But the biggest issues stemmed from what the studio expected from him, as he added, "They needed something bigger, more orchestral; it was hard for me to be told that my music was too indie for the film."

Joseph Kosinski used his engineering and architecture background

Before Joseph Kosinski became a filmmaker, he had rather different career goals, but the skills he attained during those pursuits were certainly nice to have when working on "Oblivion." The director told Collider , "My background is in mechanical engineering and industrial design. That's what I went to undergrad for, and then I went to architecture school for graduate school thinking I was going to be an architect. I was always looking for a career that could combine my creative interests with my technical side, and it ends up directing films is the perfect combination." To highlight how his extensive education was particularly useful for this film, Kosinski added, "The Bubbleship and the Sky Tower were two elements of the story that I had a very clear image of from the start."

Without a doubt, the most valuable of all was his vast experience working with 3D modeling software while working on his master's degree. The director not only described to BuzzFeed how the models of the signature Sky Tower were a solid base for the production design team to work with, but he also provided examples of the impressive early sketches as proof.

The film required considerably little CGI

Universal must have been pleased with Joseph Kosinski's ability to film a sci-fi epic like "Oblivion" with a significantly lower budget than other similar movies of the genre. For comparison, the director told /Film , "'Tron' had fifteen or sixteen hundred visual effects shots in it and 'Oblivion' is eight hundred shots, so it's almost half. Because I was able to do so much in camera. Hopefully it feels like a big movie, which is what I always wanted to do, but we did it." 

The primary reason that Kosinski did not need to burn through as much cash as other productions was because of his clever use of front projection techniques, a method used previously by the renowned filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in "2001: A Space Odyssey." When talking with Film4 , he and Tom Cruise explained how no blue screens were used in the background of the Sky Tower, and instead massive screens projected footage of cloud formations that were shot for weeks atop the peak of a Hawaiian volcano. The result was both a beautiful sight for audiences and a far more immersive experience for the actors as well.

3D was too dark to use

For Joseph Kosinski's first sci-fi flick, "Tron: Legacy," the filmmaker shot some sequences in 3D, and the film was ultimately released in 3D as well. The process was still riding the wave of "Avatar," released just a year before. Fully familiar with the format, the director did briefly consider going that route again for "Oblivion" but quickly realized it made no sense because of the aesthetic he was aiming to achieve.

The 4K format, on the other hand, was a much better option for one key reason. Kosinski explained to Collider , "The brightness levels of 3D right now are a fraction of what 2D is. With 2D, you're at 14 foot-lamberts, and with IMAX, you're at 22 foot-lamberts. But 3D films are at 4. So, the brightness isn't there and also your eyes react differently. At low level, they don't pick up color in the same way so you just don't get the saturation, and I knew I wanted this to be a daylight science fiction film."

Morgan Freeman took his role to work with Tom Cruise

Though Morgan Freeman was thoroughly impressed with the script for "Oblivion," he had to be honest and admit that it was Tom Cruise's involvement with the film that was the biggest selling point for him. Freeman was a longtime fan of the actor, and both men had wanted to work together since they first met in the 1990s, so it was bound to happen eventually.

For Freeman, it was important that the duo's first film was something special and not just any movie. He explained to Collider , "If that were the case, I would have been in 'Mission Impossible' 1, 2 or 3. But when the right project comes along, there's sort of a domino effect. Everything falls into place. I think this was the perfect genre for me to be involved with Tom in, so I no longer resent not having done anything with him before."

The film went from Disney to Universal

Initially, Disney was set to produce "Oblivion" because of Joseph Kosinski's great relationship with the studio, but it did not take long for problems to arise. The director told /Film , "With Disney, it was interesting, because I was doing 'Tron: Legacy' and I was under option to them. So they bought it and then as the project developed and I started building it, it became clear when I kept pitching these elements, that it didn't quite fit inside the Disney envelope and I think people who see the movie now, it makes sense."

Fortunately for the filmmaker, Disney was not the only major player interested in the movie. Universal was more than eager to step in, especially since then-chairman Adam Fogelson thought the screenplay was one of the most beautiful he has ever read. The transition from one studio to the next went very smoothly, not just because Disney was on good terms with Kosinski, but it also helped that his former producer, Sean Bailey, had become the president of the studio in 2010.

A panel of scientists were consulted for accuracy

While Joseph Kosinski did benefit greatly from his engineering and architecture background when designing several key elements of "Oblivion," he did not rely solely on his own expertise. The director told Film4 , "I did consult with a panel of scientists at the beginning of the film just to kind of make sure that everything is rooted in science. The technology feels real."

The experts were brought on board not just to verify the accuracy of aspects he was more familiar with, like the Bubbleship, but more importantly, they were there to help figure out the effects of extreme changes to the global environment that occurred in the backstory. When talking with /Film , Kosinski said the panel was recruited to "discuss the geography, the climate, the change of what would happen to Earth if you destroyed the Moon and the changing of the tides." The director knew that such a catastrophic event would drastically alter the Earth, and could trigger all sorts of fallout disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and super volcanoes, so their input was vital in showing the results of that chaos in the most realistic way.

Tom Cruise let Jessica Chastain leave the film

Before production on "Oblivion" began, there was a major change in the cast that was possible due to the kindness of Tom Cruise. Jessica Chastain looked forward to starring alongside the actor, but when she was offered a role in "Zero Dark Thirty," she quickly decided that was an opportunity that she just could not decline. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , she described how Cruise helped her out and explained, "Someone contacted him from my agency and said, 'Listen, she wants to work with you. And she would love to, but there is this other film, and it's so important.'"

Fortunately for Chastain, the request was not a problem for Cruise, and she was allowed to get out of her contract. The actress went on to add, "I really hope to find something in the future to do with him because I'm very grateful. [...] I've seen him afterwards. And I was like, 'Dude, you're awesome!'"

Andrea Riseborough was uncomfortable during filming

While many of the actors seemed to have enjoyed working on "Oblivion," that was not the case for all of the cast during filming. Andrea Riseborough admitted afterwards that even though she did not have a terrible time in the production, it was not pleasant overall. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , the actress explained how the movie was shot far from home, which stirred up feelings of isolation since she only interacted with a few people at work most days. Plus, she also described the disorientation brought on by filming brightly lit, morning scenes well into the evening on the Sky Tower set.

Though the worst part of the production was the way Riseborough felt objectified during the shoot. In an interview with The A.V. Club , she said, "I think the thing I didn't enjoy about it ... was more on the studio side, the pressure to look a certain way. And I was never sure where it was coming from, but that was very important to people, how the women looked. That the women sort of looked attractive at all times." Performing with that in the back of her mind just made the experience feel awkward, as she added, "I don't really have the capacity to hold all of those things at once. Not in a way that I really like to work. And so I find that just detracted from... it just took up a lot of space and time."

The actors were attracted to the love story amidst the action

"Oblivion" may have stunning visuals, an intriguing plot, and scenes of intense action, but the love story underneath it all was another feature that helped draw more than one of the cast members to the project. When discussing the positive message of the movie, the first thing that Morgan Freeman told Collider was, "One of the themes that [stands] out in this film is the love story. It's not like one we've seen before."

The romance at its core was the one aspect that actress Olga Kurylenko, the love interest of Tom Cruise's character, liked the most about the film. When talking with Film4 , she admitted, "['Oblivion'] was quite human, and it had a beautiful, romantic story, which is very important for me as a girl. It's fun when things blow up, but it's also nice to watch a love story."

Oblivion marked the first time Tom Cruise had ever been to Iceland

For a movie star who has traveled all over the world and filmed in numerous exotic locales, it would not be surprising if places are constantly being knocked off of Tom Cruise's bucket list. And this was certainly the case when filming began for "Oblivion," as he told Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon , "I couldn't wait to go to Iceland. I've never been there. First of all, it's just [an] absolutely stunning country, and when you get there, it's hauntingly beautiful."

The breathtaking landscape was enough to spark awe in the actor, but the experience of being there was made even more special because of the brilliant way Joseph Kosinski used the environment to augment the look of the film. Cruise was already impressed with what the director had planned. But witnessing his vision in action on top of the incredible natural beauty exceeded his expectations.

Tom Cruise joined the project because of the director

When Tom Cruise met with Joseph Kosinski, he was highly impressed with the filmmaker's vision for "Oblivion" and its fascinating story, so the actor got involved very early on, before Universal picked it up and the script was even still in its draft stages. But Cruise was convinced the project would be a success, as he said in a Live Media Group Q&A , "He's a guy who's a world creator, a true visionary." On top of this praise, the actor added, "He wanted a haunting beauty, a very unique aesthetic for the film, and I think that that world that he created, these characters he created, was something that I wanted to be a part of."

With the backing of such a huge star, Kosinski was no longer as limited as he thought he would be a few years before. The director was then able to expand his initial idea and keep the parts he liked most about the tale, but tell it on a much grander scale. Cruise must have loved him as a collaborator, since the duo reunited a few films later for "Top Gun: Maverick." But it was that 2013 film, Kosinski's visually stunning "Oblivion," that first hooked Cruise.

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After the Apocalypse, Things Go Downhill

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By Manohla Dargis

• April 18, 2013

If only it were less easy to laugh at “Oblivion,” a lackluster science-fiction adventure with Tom Cruise that, even before its opening, was groaning under the weight of its hard-working, slowly fading star and a title that invites mockery of him and it both. The agony of being a longtime Tom Cruise fan has always been a burden, but now it’s just, well, dispiriting. You not only have to ignore the din of the tabloids and swat away the buzzing generated by his multiple headline-ready dramas, you also have to come to grips with the harsh truth that it no longer actually matters why and how Tom Terrific became less so. No one else much cares.

Mr. Cruise hasn’t made it easy. His screen presence has continued to grow ever-more self-serious, despite occasional attempts to lighten up, as in the recent would-be satire “Rock of Ages.” Midway through “Oblivion” I wondered when I had last believed there was something true in his laugh, something that felt either genuinely expansive or intimate, as in “Jerry Maguire,” or chilled with a hint of madness, as in “Magnolia.” Mind you, he doesn’t have many occasions to laugh in “Oblivion,” a gray post-apocalyptic tale with rainbow accents, yet when he does, it feels uncomfortably forced. In those moments, was he worrying that the movie wasn’t going to return him to the box office summit? He’s 50 years old and too young to be prepping for a slow fade, yet what are his choices?

Working with better directors — with filmmakers who know how to charm or force performances out of stars or perhaps say no to them — seems like a good place to start. “Oblivion” is only the second feature directed by Joseph Kosinski, after the 2010 release “Tron: Legacy.” That special effects-laden fantasy, a musty hero’s journey largely distinguished by the yawning divide between its poor quality and its $170 million price tag, was a flat line of a dud in almost every respect. It nonetheless made enough money to shore up an exploitable franchise property and spawn a sequel, and while this may not sound like much of an achievement, box office success or the perception of it can beget more opportunities in the movie business, which may help explain “Oblivion.”

Its story primarily unfolds in 2077, long after a cataclysmic war between earthlings and extraterrestrials. Nuked to all but radioactive ash, the Earth has been rendered nearly uninhabitable, and its remaining people have fled to a galactic shelter. The only ones left on the planet appear to be Jack Harper (Mr. Cruise) and his companion, Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), who live in a cantilevered aerie above the clouds that brings to mind a “Jetsons” sky pad. His job is to repair drones that patrol the facilities that extract resources for the surviving populace and that are under attack from the aliens, or Scavs, as in scavengers. She monitors him back at their place, waving her hands over a tabletop computer, while in full makeup and rocking some fabulous end-of-days-to-night dresses and heels.

The heels seem a strange choice given, you know, the whole doomsday thing, not to mention the glossiness of the couple’s floors. Then again, from the way she strips for some late-night nuzzling, her get-up does appear to have instrumental value, even if one misstep and she or at least an ankle would be a goner. A similar kind of tricky balancing act is inherent in science fiction, a genre that often employs recognizable details to tether readers and viewers in fantastical realms. It’s a form, as is often noted, that makes the strange familiar and the familiar strange, a narrative principle that Mr. Kosinski embraces again and again with niceties like Jack’s Yankee baseball cap and Jack and Victoria’s candlelight dinners.

The candles add atmosphere, as does that baseball cap. But because Mr. Kosinski hasn’t come up with a resonant idea to accompany them — a new or different way of looking at the world that exists and the world that might one day come into being — his retro flourishes prove as empty as the lunarlike landscapes. There’s an arresting moment, for instance, when Jack drives through a blasted-out terrain littered with ships partly submerged in earth, a vista that demonstrates Mr. Kosinski’s fondness for playing with negative space. The vision of a man existentially alone conjures up countless cowboys traveling through innumerable westerns and summons up the shock of the half-buried Statue of Liberty in “Planet of the Apes.” Yet again, Mr. Kosinski fails to build on his materials and the allusions soon fade.

All genre fictions build, self-consciously or not, on their progenitors. The problem with “Oblivion,” which is based on an unpublished graphic novel Mr. Kosinski wrote and used to pitch the studio, is that it’s been stitched together from bits and pieces that evoke numerous other, far better far-out tales and ideas, conceits and characters from the likes of Philip K. Dick, the Wachowskis, J. G. Ballard and Duncan Jones, specifically his elegant, elegiac movie, “Moon.” No matter how hard Mr. Cruise squares his jaw or flings his body over and against the scenery, and despite the presence of Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who trickle into the story to aid in Jack’s journey, “Oblivion” never transcends its inspirations to become anything other than a thin copy.

“Oblivion” is rated PG-13. (Parents strongly cautioned.) Zap-gun violence and skinny-dipping.

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Box office preview: tom cruise’s ‘oblivion’ eyeing $30 million-plus debut.

The sci-fi epic, co-starring Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko, has already earned north of $77 million internationally; Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling's "The Place Beyond the Pines" expands nationwide.

By Pamela McClintock

Pamela McClintock

Senior Film Writer

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Oblivion Tom Cruise Morgan Freeman Film Still - H 2013

Tom Cruise ‘s Oblivion is poised to win the weekend box office race with a $30 million-plus debut, which would mark one of the actor’s better openings in recent times.

Adult males are expected to fuel the sci-fi epic, which cost Universal and Elliot Inc. $120 million to produce. Oblivion , opening last weekend internationally, has earned north of $77 million at the foreign box office, where Cruise remains a major draw.

PHOTOS: 30 Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Films

Directed by Joseph Kosinski ( Tron : Legacy ), Oblivion co-stars Morgan Freeman , Olga Kurylenko , Andrea Riseborough , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Melissa Leo . Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark produced.

Cruise’s track record domestically has been mixed. Jack Reacher debuted to $15.2 million in December on its way to cuming a so-so $80 million in North America. Conversely, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, opening to $29.6 million in December 2011, turned into a box-office monster, grossing nearly $700 million worldwide.

Sci-fi is a familiar genre for Cruise, who starred in War of the Worlds and Minority Report , both directed by Steven Spielberg .

Set in 2077, 60 years after Earth was destroyed by aliens, Oblivion follows one of the last humans stationed on the planet as he uncovers a troubling secret. Kosinski’s script is adapted from his graphic novel of the same name.

PHOTOS: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman Land at ‘Oblivion’ Premiere

Universal decided to get a jump on the crowded summer box office by opening Oblivion now. The studio has gone aggressively after males by advertising during major sporting events like college basketball’s March Madness.

Oblivion opens in another seven international markets this weekend.

Expanding nationwide into more than 1,500 theaters this weekend is Derek Cianfrance ‘s indie drama The Place Beyond the Pines , starring Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling . The film, from Focus Features, began its limited run late last month and has grossed more than $6 million.

Related Stories

Tom cruise: 'oblivion' quotes taken out of context in german interview, tom cruise's pr push: 'oblivion' star strategizes to improve box-office prospects, tom cruise, morgan freeman land at 'oblivion' premiere, foreign box office: tom cruise's 'oblivion' opens no. 1 with $61.1 million overseas, thr newsletters.

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Product Description

Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion , an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the visionary director of Tron: Legacy and producers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes . On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Product details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.3 x 0.45 inches; 3.2 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1125006
• Director ‏ : ‎ Joseph Kosinski
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Ultraviolet, Blu-ray, Widescreen, Color
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 4 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 6, 2013
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Joseph Kosinski, Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Barry Levine, Duncan Henderson
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), French Canadian (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008JFUO4U
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Karl Gajdusek, Michael DeBruyn
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
• #912 in Action & Adventure Blu-ray Discs

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Celebrity Birthdays June 1-2: Tom Holland, Heidi Klum, Morgan Freeman, Awkwafina and More

Posted: June 1, 2024 | Last updated: June 1, 2024

June 1: singer Pat Boone turns 90, actor Morgan Freeman 87, actor Brian Cox 78, The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood 77, model Heidi Klum 51, singer Alanis Morissette 50, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile 43, comedian Amy Schumer 43, comedian Nikki Glaser 40, and actor Tom Holland 28. June 2: actor/comedian Dana Carvey 69, TV personality Andy Cohen 56, rapper B-Real 54, comedian Wayne Brady 52, actor Zachary Quinto 47, actor Justin Long 46, actress/rapper Awkwafina 36, and singer Willy Moon 35.

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Famous birthdays list for today, June 1, 2024 includes celebrities Morgan Freeman, Amy Schumer

• Published: Jun. 01, 2024, 5:00 a.m.

Morgan Freeman and Amy Schumer celebrate birthdays on June 1, 2024. AP

• Mike Rose, cleveland.com

Birthday wishes go out to Morgan Freeman, Amy Schumer and all the other celebrities with birthdays today. Check out our slideshow below to see photos of famous people turning a year older on June 1st and learn an interesting fact about each of them.

Top celebrity birthdays on June 1, 2024

Actor Morgan Freeman speaks from the stage during the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Nicole Kidman, Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Actor Morgan Freeman turns 87

Fun fact: Narrated the 2011 version of ‘Conan the Barbarian’

Alan Ruck, from left, Sarah Snook, Alexander Skarsgard, Brian Cox, Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfayden, and J. Smith-Cameron, winners of the award for outstanding drama series for "Succession," pose in the press room during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) AP

Actor Brian Cox turns 78

Fun fact: Portrayed Hannibal Lecter in the 1986 film ‘Manhunter’

Heidi Klum poses for photographers upon arrival at the awards ceremony and the premiere of the film 'The Second Act' during the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP) Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP

Model Heidi Klum turns 51

Fun fact: Appeared in a pair of episodes of ‘Parks and Recreation’

Alanis Morissette performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) AP

Singer Alanis Morissette turns 50

Fun fact: Her middle name is Nadine

Check out more celebrities who were born in Canada

Amy Schumer attends Variety's 2024 Power of Women: New York event presented by Lifetime at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP) Greg Allen/Invision/AP

Actress Amy Schumer turns 43

Willow Shields attends the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Actress Willow Shields turns 24

Fun fact: Her brother River Shields has done some acting as well

More celebrities with birthdays today

Singer Pat Boone is 90. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 77. Guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 77. Actor John M. Jackson (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 74. Country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 71. Actor Lisa Hartman Black is 68. Actor Tom Irwin (“Devious Maids”) is 68. Bassist Simon Gallup of The Cure is 64. Comedian Mark Curry (“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”) is 63. Actor Teri Polo (“Meet The Parents”) is 55. Actor Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead”) is 47. Comedian Link Neal of Rhett and Link (YouTube’s “Good Mythical Morning”) is 46. TV host Damien Fahey (MTV’s “Total Request Live”) is 44. Singer Brandi Carlile is 43. Actor Taylor Handley (“The O.C.”) is 40. Actor Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”) is 33.

Other popular or historical birthdays on June 1st

Brigham Young, Mormon leader

Andy Griffith, actor

Marilyn Monroe, actress

with The Associated Press

Celebrity fun facts

Recent lists: Kaley Cuoco fun facts | Margot Robbie fun facts | Kevin Costner fun facts | Tom Cruise fun facts | Gal Gadot fun facts | Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson fun facts | Reese Witherspoon fun facts

Popular lists: Robert Downey Jr. fun facts | Emma Watson fun facts | Jason Momoa fun facts | Miley Cyrus fun facts

Check out our full list of more than 40 celebrity fun facts .

Movie and TV fun facts & more

Recent lists: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ guest stars | ‘Groundhog Day’ fun facts | ‘Yellowstone’ trivia

Popular lists: Canadian celebrities | ‘Friends’ guest stars | Celebs on ‘The Office’

Check out our rundown of more than 30 posts featuring trivia and fun facts about movies and TV shows .

Recent Celebrity birthdays

• Famous birthdays list for today, May 31, 2024 includes celebrities Clint Eastwood, Brooke Shields
• Famous birthdays list for today, May 30, 2024 includes celebrities CeeLo Green, Idina Menzel
• Famous birthdays list for today, May 29, 2024 includes celebrities Annette Bening, Riley Keough

Want to see more celebrity birthdays as well as additional fun facts posts? Follow me on Facebook for the latest by clicking the “like” button below.

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