Oblivion

On a shattered Earth decades after a war with a mysterious foe known as the Scavs, Jack Harper maintains a fleet of drones that extract essential resources for a scattered human civilization. He and his partner live in a high tech tower above the plains, convinced their mission will restore the planet. When Jack rescues a woman from a crash site, her sudden appearance unsettles his routine and stirs doubt about what he has been told. Her presence triggers a cascade of unsettling discoveries that challenge the truth of their memory implants and the real purpose behind the mission. As doubt deepens, Jack faces hard choices about loyalty, love, and the fate of humanity. Wrecked cities lie under orange skies, and the few remaining humans live in guarded havens while drones patrol the scarred landscape.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion was written by Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt. It features Tom Cruise in the lead role with Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

The film grossed about 287 million worldwide on a production budget of roughly 120 million, marking a solid return for a mid range sci fi adventure and helping establish Kosinski's cinematic scale, with strong performance in several markets.

Oblivion's striking visuals and its moody score helped define a wave of post war sci fi set pieces. Its imagery of deserts, glassy towers, and sweeping vistas echoed in later films, contributing to a recognizable look for the era and shaping how studios present sci fi in trailers.

Critics gave the film a mixed reception, praising production values and Cruise's star appeal while noting pacing and plot at times feel familiar. The story probes memory identity and what people owe to a fragile humanity under pressure. Its ambitious ideas linger beyond the theater and invite reflection.