# Oblivion - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12325[/img] 
*Title: Oblivion* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :5stars:
*Audio:* :5stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*91




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12326[/img]*Summary*
Tom Cruise is one of those actors that you can love in spite of his crazy antics off-screen. Whatever he stars in is almost never BAD; his charm, charisma and acting experience all shine through and has raised many a mediocre movie up to a “good” rating just by his presence. I’m a big fan of Cruise and have been ever since I was a teenager watching “Mission Impossible” on VHS until I broke the tape. Tom has dazzled us on-screen with his dedication to his craft, even to the extent of doing 95% of his own stunts over the course of his film career (little tidbit of trivia: Tom is an avid motorcyclist and you’ll notice in many of his movies he’s driving a motorcycle or other two wheeled variant and it’s actually HIM doing the driving, not a stunt driver). Here we have Tom reprising his role as the stoic hero in yet another Sci-fi Film. I wasn’t too sure about “Oblivion” when I went into the theaterb being that I had made the stupid mistake of reading spoilers on the film’s plot before I went to view it theatrically, and had a less than perfect theatrical experience. However, watching it at home for a second time has allowed me to view it through a different set of eyes. Tom is solid as he always is, and director Joseph Kosinski gives us a fun blockbuster sci-fi actioneer to relax to.

It seems that 60 years ago, the Earth was invaded by an alien race known as the “Scavs,” presumably short for "Scavengers," the moon being destroyed in the process. As a result, the earth has gone out of whack and the lack of moon has created huge earthquakes, floods, fires, etc. in its destruction leaving the Earth nearly uninhabitable. To top it all off, the nuclear fallout from the war has left 90% of the world unlivable with the leftover radiation. The humans won the war, but lost the planet. As a last resort, humans built the “TET”, a giant space station that orbits the earth and is charge of harvesting the last of the Earth’s energy resources to fuel the survivors who have colonized one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Titan. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) work as caretakers for the giant machines that harvest the energy needed for the rest of the human race. With drones at their side, they monitor the equipment and repair the drones when they are attacked by the remaining Scav forces that are hiding out in the rubble of civilization. Due to the severity of their mission, both Jack and Victoria have had their memories wiped for their 5 year mission so that if they fall into Scav hands, they cannot reveal any critical information. The problem is that Jack is having some weird memories and dreams. Memories of himself in the world BEFORE the war, memories of a strange woman haunting his dreams. To add more stress to his life, he is insatiably curious, wanting to stay, even though logic dictates that the Earth is uninhabitable and he’s better off on Titan.

All of this comes to a head when during a routine drone repair Jack finds a Scav beacon being sent off into space. After decoding the message, he finds the coordinates of the beacon and observes a ship has crash mere hours later. Not just ANY ship, but a 60 year old HUMAN ship, complete with survivors. To make matters worse, the drones come onto the scene and start obliterating the human survivors in cryo sleep. Risking life and limb, Jack is able to save a single solitary survivor. A young woman name Julia….a woman with the same face that has been haunting his dreams and memories. Here Jack has to face the fact that everything is a lie….everything he has known is brought into question: himself, his mission, the Scavs, the TET and even who he really is, both physically and metaphorically. Any more description and I’ll end up spoiling the story big time so I’ll leave the plot synopsis at that. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12327[/img]
Had the film been released 8 years ago or so I would have given the film a slightly higher score, but being that “Oblivion” is basically (don’t’ read the spoiler ahead unless you’ve already seen the film or WANT to have it spoiled) 
*Spoiler* 



“Moon” with a giant alien super computer instead of a big bad corporation


 made it just a tad less creative. Even though it has that against it, the film is just a blast from beginning to end. Jack Harper is played with Tom Cruise’s legendary bravado and Olga Kurylenko actually gives a really good performance. I haven’t always enjoyed her roles in other films due to her limited acting range, but in “Quantum of Solace” and now here in “Oblivion” she’s shown that she really can act when given the proper direction. 

“Oblivion” is not a brilliant film by any stretch of the imagination. It is cobbled together from the mythology of dozens of sci-fi films/books before it, and the fact that it’s got some SERIOUS similarities to another recent sci-fi film tends to give one pause. However, the fact that the films/books and ideas that director Joseph Kosinski borrowed form are all excellent sci-fi plot points the end result mixed with a fantastic use of action and style raises the film to a nice solid footing which is sure to please fans of the genre. Given that this is a summer blockbuster I wasn’t expecting much in the way of intelligence, but there’s still a surprising amount of brain cells that are used during the watching experience. The film goes into the subjects of what makes a person? Is it the physical body? The memories? Or is there something inside us that transcends pure science? There’s a few cheesy sci-fi moments, and some ridiculous pseudo-science, but that’s easily glossed over with the sheer fun factor of the film. There’s great action scenes, some STUNNING CGI battles and Tom Cruise’s charisma just carries the film. Toss Morgan Freeman into the mix and it’s really hard to go wrong. After viewing “Oblivion” two times so far I can say that I believe a third time in the coming week or so is in order with a bunch of friends and a LOT of popcorn. 


*Rating:* 

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



*Video* :5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12328[/img]All I can say is “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!” for the picture quality. Universal has given us an absolutely INCREDIBLE 2.39:1 AVC encode to enjoy. From the minute I started through the opening credits and narration I knew we were in for a treat. The colors and textures are about as vibrant as one can possibly get for a 1080p encode, whether it be the lush blues of the sky or the rich greens of the forest, or even the beautiful browns and greys of the desert sand, all shine through with equal aplomb. Facial and texture detail are without a doubt the closest to perfection I’ve seen in a long time. You can see every curve and pore in Tom Cruise’s face, the torn threads on his flight uniform and even the little stretch marks along his necks that one wouldn’t notice in a lesser encode. Black levels are pristine and inky as can be without a hint of black crush or lost shadow detail. The film is extremely vibrant at times, but can also go near pitch black in the underground lair of the Scavs and the film replicates everything to a T. There is zero signs of any digital manipulation such as DNR or haloing and artifacts are nowhere in sight. “Oblivion” ranks up there with one of the best and I’m proud to give the video encode a perfect score.





*Audio* :5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12330[/img]If the fantastic video wasn’t enough, Universal has given us a bombastic, in-your-face audio track that just pins you to your seat, jumps on your chest, and starts beating you sonically as brutally as the bully in a 9th grade school yard fight. The LFE is absolutely GUT WRENCHING and stays throughout the entire film with power, intensity and depth. The scene were Jack lands his ship among the escape pods from the fallen space craft is thunderous and shook my house from top to bottom, even the simple things such as a door closing does so with the force of a hurricane and the battle scenes with the drones are enough to send any audio lover into a seizure of bliss. The surrounds are alive the entire time, filling the room with the crackling of flames, the thunder of gunfire and the soft sounds of sand crunching underneath Jack Harper’s boots in the desert. Dialogue is clean and centered, giving us a perfectly understandable audio track that is well balanced with the gut wrenching soundtrack. Again, like the video I’m proud to say that “Oblivion” earns another 5/5 in my book for its audio track.



[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12329[/img]*Extras* :3stars: 
• Director's Commentary
• Promise of a New World 
• Isolated M83 Score
• Deleted Scenes










*Overall:* :4.5stars:

A bad film can be redeemed in some ways by a fantastic audio and video encode; even if you’re not a wild fan of the movie, there’s always the fun of demoing it off to your friends and neighbors to show what your system can do. What makes a movie watching truly special is when a really GOOD film has a fantastic audio/visual score. Not only can you demo the movie, but be absorbed into the experience that a truly perfect film replication can do to the viewer. “Oblivion” is one of those movies. Not a perfect movie, it has a few unanswered questions and has a plotline similar to another sci-fi movie in the last 10 years (albeit modified), but the movie itself is a well-crafted story that is just plain fun to watch in spite of those flaws. Tom Cruise is always a treat on screen and Morgan Freeman never disappoints. A sci-fi actioneer that has enough cerebral cells engaged to ask just the right questions, “Oblivion” is a great movie to just relax to and let the sonic vibrations and explosive action give you a fantastic movie watching experience. Easily a buy in my book.

*Additional Information:*

Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Written by: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, French, Spanish DTS 5.1
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 124 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: August 6th, 2013



*Buy Oblivion Blu-ray on Amazon*


*Recommendation: Buy It​*







More about Mike


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## JBrax

Thanks for the review Mike. I had planned on buying this one regardless but after reading your review now I'm pumped with excitement. Definitely looking forward to watching Oblivion.


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## tripplej

Wow. Good writeup. I will have to check this movie out. When it came out in the theaters I wanted to see it but never got the time to check it out. Thanks for the review.


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## Sonnie

The trailers I have seen looked pretty good, but I have wondered if it might be some blown out of proportion sci-fi movie. Sounds like it might be a fun movie to watch though. I have to agree that Tom is a pretty good actor and works really hard at it, although some times he does seem a little bigger than life.


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## Mike Edwards

Sonnie said:


> The trailers I have seen looked pretty good, but I have wondered if it might be some blown out of proportion sci-fi movie. Sounds like it might be a fun movie to watch though. I have to agree that Tom is a pretty good actor and works really hard at it, although some times he does seem a little bigger than life.


it's not going to change the world or win the academy award for an amazing plot, but it's just a fun sci-fi movie, nothing more, nothing less. go into it with that mindset and you'll have fun, go in expecting the next Blade runner and you might be a bit disappointed.


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## ericzim

Good review Mike. I agree that the story is good the PQ and AQ are very good. However, at the end of the story I felt like something was missing or glossed over or as you put it "unanswered questions"..


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## tonyvdb

Looking forward to seeing this when its released on Blu. Sounds like its demo material


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## tcarcio

Thanks Mike, I was looking at this as a buy and your review convinced me. I will probably go out and get it Tuesday. Thanks again, Great review....:T


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## JQueen

Def looking forward to checking this one out .. Thanks for the review


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## sdurani

Mike Edwards said:


> I wasn’t too sure about “Oblivion” when I went into the theater being that I had made the stupid mistake of reading spoilers on the film’s plot before I went to view it theatrically


Even if you hadn't read spoilers, the trailers spoil the mystery behind the Scavs, making you question the other aspects of the intro that sets up the story, taking away the intended surprise at plot twists.


Mike Edwards said:


> Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) work as caretakers for the giant machines that harvest the energy needed for the rest of the human race.


Kinda like a live-action version of Wall-E.


Mike Edwards said:


> There’s a few cheesy sci-fi moments, and some ridiculous pseudo-science, but that’s easily glossed over with the sheer fun factor of the film.


Saw it a couple times during its theatrical run and really enjoyed it despite the plot holes. Guess I'm an easy mark for a nice love story, and at the heart of this story is a love that absolutely refuses to die.


Mike Edwards said:


> Universal has given us an absolutely INCREDIBLE 2.39:1 AVC encode to enjoy today.


The first time I saw the movie was in 2.35 and Dolby Atmos. The second time was in digital IMAX and 5.1 sound. One of the reasons I went back to see it in IMAX is because the director said that they had composed specifically for the 1.9 digital IMAX frame (the flashback scenes were still 2.35) and I wanted to see if I would prefer that. Ended up I did, and had since been hoping that the Blu-ray release would have been in this aspect ratio. Oh well. 

BTW, the cinematographer of this movie just won an Oscar for shooting _'Life of Pi'_, another visually stunning picture.


Mike Edwards said:


> The surrounds are alive the entire time, filling the room with the crackling of flames, the thunder of gunfire and the soft sounds of sand crunching underneath Jack Harper’s boots in the desert.


This movie also has the distinction of being the first _native_ Atmos mix (all previous Dolby Atmos releases were originally mixed in 5.1 or 7.1 and later had certain sounds extracted and treated as "objects" that moved around the room). No surprise then that the 7.1 downmix on Blu-ray sounds terrific. 

I'm going to try to find the Walmart exclusive metal case:


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## Prof.

Sounds like it might be worth adding to my sci-fi collection..Thanks Mike..


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## TheLaw612

Great write-up. I can't wait to check this one out. Every review I've heard and read has said how great this movie looks and sounds. 

I'm not the biggest Tom Cruise fan but I love sci-fi and I think I'll really enjoy this one.


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## robsong

Thanks for the review will pick this up on 8/6/13.


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## RBTO

Although the plot was a bit thin and pulled from a number of past Sci-Fi movies, the imaging and sound of this picture make it a new reference for BD. The movie was shot entirely in digital using the newest models of Sony's CineAlta cameras (the F65) which are native 8K (sampled down to 4K). That made the picture quality truly outstanding, and the transfer to BD is faithful to the producer's intent. Too bad this one wasn't shot in 3D, but the overall picture and sound quality make that a minor issue.

There's an excellent article on the filming of "Oblivion" here:

http://collider.com/joseph-kosinski-oblivion-m83-interview/http://

which should be of interest to readers.


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## JimShaw

I'm excited.

I have my Best Buy $5 upgrade and ready to go.



m


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## Infrasonic

Great review Mike, I caught the movie in a Dolby Atmos theater when it was released and the sound there was outstanding so my high hopes for the audio on the BD release seem to have been fulfilled! 

Good job with the synopsis without giving too much away; I agree there are a lot of parallels to the other movie which shall not be named (I'm also a fan of that other movie too). When we walked out of the theater some people seemed to be confused with the ending but I thought it was pretty straight forward. I'm looking forward to watching it again at home :bigsmile:


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## Jon Liu

I really wanted to see this one, but for one reason or another I never got to see it in theaters. However, I skipped over the overview, as I've done for all reviews since this movie was released in theaters, because I want to be able to experience this movie completely fresh. I am glad that it's gotten such high technical merits since I will certainly be picking this one up tomorrow for sure! Thanks for the review!


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## Mike0206

I will also be picking this up tomorrow or its almost today isn't it? Lol! Anyways I thoroughly enjoyed this film and saw it twice in theaters. I'm not really one to over analyze movies regarding plot twists and such but yes this movie was a bit predictable. Even still that doesn't ever seem to bother me to much. Yes it's nice when a movie pops up that completely fools you as far as what way you thought it was going, but irregardless of that fact, oblivion proved to be a very enjoyable movie. That's what I base my movies on. Simply put, if I like it I like it, if I don't I don't. I liked oblivion and can't wait to see and hear it on my system


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## JBrax

Stopped by Wal-Mart this morning and picked up the special edition metal case. After we get home from the Royals game this evening we'll be watching Oblivion! Pretty excited about this one after all of the audio/video praise its received.


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## ericzim

My Blu-ray arrived this morning. Bouncing around through the chapters, definitely demo material.


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## bkeeler10

Well I was definitely planning on seeing this one when it came out, but after reading this review I might just have to buy it. It's always good to have a few demo discs on hand, even though I don't buy a whole lot of movies (gotta pay for the equipment!). Thanks for the review.


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## 3dbinCanada

Its odd that Morgan Freeeman hardly got mentioned in this review considering he's miles better an actor than Tom Cruise.


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## jd371

I missed this in the theaters. I plan on stopping at BB after work today to pick it up. Looking forward to watching it tonight if I get the time. Thanks for the review Mike.


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## PC509

I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise, but I do seem to like the majority of movies he is in. Good actor. This movie looked excellent with the trailers, but I didn't watch it in theaters. From your review, it looks like I may have to pick this up. Sounds like it might be like another Cruise movie, War of the Worlds, that I use to show off the theater. 

Thanks for the review.


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## tonyvdb

3dbinCanada said:


> Its odd that Morgan Freeeman hardly got mentioned in this review considering he's miles better an actor than Tom Cruise.


I agree, and a better person off the screen as well. Cruise is a strange bird.
The Walmart near me did not have any steelbox sets but had the Bluray free T-shirt box (kind of a neat looking black shirt with white logo and image).


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## asere

I need to check this film out!


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## tonyvdb

Awesome audio and the video is perfect! story is just good not awesome fun to watch none the less.


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## Dwight Angus

Will buy this one today at Walmart. Should be fun


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## JBrax

Certainly reference quality on both the audio and video side. Lots of LFE and excellent surround activity. As far as the story I thought it was decent.


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## JimShaw

Watched it last night.

Yes, the PQ and AQ were great. Story line I though was very interesting and enjoyed it. I will watch it again. Tom Cruise as a person, I am not a fan but I do enjoy his movies.


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## B- one

JimShaw said:


> Watched it last night.
> 
> Yes, the PQ and AQ were great. Story line I though was very interesting and enjoyed it. I will watch it again. Tom Cruise as a person, I am not a fan but I do enjoy his movies.


Hey Jim I was wondering do you watch your movies full screen? I usually do just worried about burn in. I plan on trading in a old movie and get this title from BB.


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## Mike Edwards

B- one said:


> Hey Jim I was wondering do you watch your movies full screen? I usually do just worried about burn in. I plan on trading in a old movie and get this title from BB.


burn in shouldn't be a problem in modern plasmas. if you watch a movie with bars on it just run the image retention sweep afterwards and/or watch some full screen content later. I've used plasma's for almost a decade and I NEVER have burn in problems from just watching a movie in the correct aspect ratio. only time you should have an issue is watching ONLY 2.35:1 movies or ONLY 4x3 content for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS.


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## B- one

Good to know but I am chicken and will watch mostly full screen. But it will be nice to watch one properly once in a while.


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## JimShaw

B- one said:


> Hey Jim I was wondering do you watch your movies full screen? I usually do just worried about burn in. I plan on trading in a old movie and get this title from BB.


I run full screen on everything only because I like it.

My big fear was burn in or image retention when purchasing my first plasma.

Now that I have had the set for a couple months and my wife loves watching HGTV for hours with an HGTV logo, I have not seen one IR or burn it. I no longer worry or even think about it. It is not a problem.


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## B- one

JimShaw said:


> I run full screen on everything only because I like it.
> 
> My big fear was burn in or image retention when purchasing my first plasma.
> 
> Now that I have had the set for a couple months and my wife loves watching HGTV for hours with an HGTV logo, I have not seen one IR or burn it. I no longer worry or even think about it. It is not a problem.


Sounds good thanks for your input. I like filling the whole screen mostly as well, maybe some day when I have room for a projector it will be different.


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## Dwight Angus

Saw this one last night. Audio/Video is perfect. Movie is ok.


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## moparz10

same here i thought the video and audio were right up there with some of the top sci/fi pics, cg was smooth and not to noticable,going to have to watch moon again.
thanks for the review. :T


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## brian6751

i was actually surprise by this movie. My expectations were kind of low and i ending up really enjoying it. the excellent A/V was a big plus as well.


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## asere

I'm glad the reviews are good. I just did a blind buy and I hope to enjoy it like the others here.


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## 3dbinCanada

asere said:


> I'm glad the reviews are good. I just did a blind buy and I hope to enjoy it like the others here.


I bought it as a semi-blind buy reading hear that the audio/video aspects of this movie are stellar. I can confirm that most definately after watching it yesterday. The story its self is good but its not a big action film for sure. I think you will enjoy it.


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## phillihp23

Good sound quality and video quality. Found the storyline interesting. And, was that the real him at the end :dumbcrazy:


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## sdurani

phillihp23 said:


> was that the real him at the end



*Spoiler* 



The real him (astronaut, husband, mission commander) likely died 60 years earlier when he and his co-pilot (who had a crush on him) entered the giant alien ship.


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## phillihp23

Ahhhh:rofl:


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## TheLaw612

LOL maybe you should edit that post haha. 

Anyway I did a blind buy on this and have to agree with everyone about the audio & video quality - one of the best yet. Story was so-so but my wife and I did enjoy it.


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## rencan

I'm a Tom Cruise fan but glad i rented it and not purchased. Good audio and video but that in itself was not reason enough for me to make a purchase. 
I lost interest half way through the flick.


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## asere

rencan said:


> I'm a Tom Cruise fan but glad i rented it and not purchased. Good audio and video but that in itself was not reason enough for me to make a purchase.
> I lost interest half way through the flick.


I hear you I did a blind buy. The audio and visual was nice but the storyline didn't do it for me nor for my wife and she likes just about anything.


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## koyaan

I'm not really a Tom Cruise fan, but my wife and I enjoyed the movie.


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## ALMFamily

Thanks for the review! :T

I also bought it, but I knew going in that the storyline was going to be "borrowed" for the most part. However, the audio / video side was so good I just had to add it...


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## maximus_lt

Not like the movie. At one time watch. Tom aged


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## Todd Anderson

I FINALLY watched this film on BD. Mike, you hit the nail on the head with this review. Definitely Moon (possibly cross pollinated with Star Wars and Independence Day?) influenced. Video and Audio are a grand slam.


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## Nec

Just brought,will enjoy it tonight


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## bmoney003

Gorgeous visuals and imho best sounding movie this year!!


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## RTS100x5

Watched Oblivion On my buddy's new system with the JVC X55 in 4K upscale... PQ was was so good it just took us right into the movie set...Just like great audio speakers , it was never fatiguing to look at ....
This is my new demo movie for my biz...:hail:


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## dasha

Yeah a really good movie!


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