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Set in the year 2077, the backstory of this sci-fi film is that the earth was attacked by mysterious aliens called The Scavengers. In the war, our moon was destroyed and that caused tidal waves and global destruction. Earthlings fought back with nuclear weapons and won the battle, but lost the war. The Earth is now mostly uninhabital. Most earthlings have moved to Triton, a moon of Jupiter. A few "Scavs" still survive on Earth.
Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) remain on earth as caretakers who have had their memories "wiped" so that if they're captured by the Scavs they can't give them any intel. They live in a Jetson-like house suspended on poles thousands of feet above the earth. Their job is to fix the drone force that patrols the air and keeps the remaining Scavs from interfering with our mining operations. We are sucking earth's water out and sending it to Triton with huge hydro plants. The humans who haven't left for Triton live int the "Tet", a giant tetrahedron object seen floating in the sky along with the remnants of the moon.
Filmed mostly in Iceland, using a new Sony "4K" camera or process, this blockbuster sci-fi movie is spectacular looking. I would say more spectacular even than Avatar or Prometheus. Andrea Riseborough seems to almost be glowing at times.
The plot has twists and turns. Things are not as they seem, of course. You begin to get a sense for that as you watch Victoria interact with "Sally" their commanding officer/controler in the Tet. She keeps asking Victoria if her and Jack are still "an effective couple". Victoria is content to follow orders and hopes to go back to the Tet and then to Triton when their tour is up. Jack, on the other hand, has flashbacks. He keeps seeing a female face that haunts him. He occasionally goes "off grid" to a secret hiding place he's found with trees and water and feels an affinity for the Earth.
The story gets complicated, but unlike Prometheous, it does make sense if you follow it carefully. Some people complain that it drags. I didn't notice the two hour running time. I was entertained all the while. The sound track is great. There's not that much ultra-violence. There's a scant bit of nudity as Victoria and Jack go skinny dipping in their pool in the clouds.
I give it 3 stars on the Roger Ebert scale and a thumbs up.
Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) remain on earth as caretakers who have had their memories "wiped" so that if they're captured by the Scavs they can't give them any intel. They live in a Jetson-like house suspended on poles thousands of feet above the earth. Their job is to fix the drone force that patrols the air and keeps the remaining Scavs from interfering with our mining operations. We are sucking earth's water out and sending it to Triton with huge hydro plants. The humans who haven't left for Triton live int the "Tet", a giant tetrahedron object seen floating in the sky along with the remnants of the moon.
Filmed mostly in Iceland, using a new Sony "4K" camera or process, this blockbuster sci-fi movie is spectacular looking. I would say more spectacular even than Avatar or Prometheus. Andrea Riseborough seems to almost be glowing at times.
The plot has twists and turns. Things are not as they seem, of course. You begin to get a sense for that as you watch Victoria interact with "Sally" their commanding officer/controler in the Tet. She keeps asking Victoria if her and Jack are still "an effective couple". Victoria is content to follow orders and hopes to go back to the Tet and then to Triton when their tour is up. Jack, on the other hand, has flashbacks. He keeps seeing a female face that haunts him. He occasionally goes "off grid" to a secret hiding place he's found with trees and water and feels an affinity for the Earth.
The story gets complicated, but unlike Prometheous, it does make sense if you follow it carefully. Some people complain that it drags. I didn't notice the two hour running time. I was entertained all the while. The sound track is great. There's not that much ultra-violence. There's a scant bit of nudity as Victoria and Jack go skinny dipping in their pool in the clouds.
I give it 3 stars on the Roger Ebert scale and a thumbs up.
