Directed By:  Joseph Kosinski

Written By:  Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt

Starring:  Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko

PG-13     2 h 4 min – Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Jack (Cruise) is one of two humans left on Earth.  He is joined by his girlfriend/wife/partner (whatever she is) Victoria (Riseborough).  Years prior some aliens called Scavs showed up and destroyed the moon which wreaked havoc on Earth, as one could imagine, and a war between the humans and the Scavs followed shortly after.  We ended up nuking them and won the war, the remainder of the human race evacuated to Titan, a moon of Saturn. They left behind a small population just above the Earth in a giant station called the Tet.  The only thing left on earth a big oil rig lookin’ things that pump water up from the ocean for the remainder of the human race.  That’s where Jack and Victoria come in.  They maintain and safeguard Drones which are badass little robots that fly around searching for and destroying left over Scavs.

Jack’s day is pretty routine, he flies around in his badass ship repairing the drones and hunting for leftover Scavs while Victoria runs the control center.  Jack’s world turns upside down when he stumbles across a library and everything he knows suddenly becomes unclear, leading him further and further down the rabbit hole.  Once Morgan Freeman shows up his power pushes the plot to the next level of mystery and intrigue.  Ok let’s get into this.  First of all, I was absolutely blown away by the special effects.  As you undoubtedly know I am a die-hard Sci-Fi fan, so this was a fun ride.  The CGI is so dialed in that you feel like you’re really there, and you WANT to be there, and not for a minute is it unbelievable.  The plot builds flawlessly.  Writers Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt establish the characters in such a stable way that you fall in love with the two of them right out of the gate.  Their routine has certain calm to it, the regularity and repetitious manner of their day to day makes you feel nice and comfortable, so when things turn for the worse you feel twice as unsettled.  Jack’s reach for answers and his desperation for a life like the good ol’ days keep you riveted throughout.

The ending of the film was heavily criticized but I absolutely loved it.  It sealed up the story leaving me satisfied, and I felt like watching it again right then and there.  Was it cheesy? Uh yes…it’s science fiction, without cheese it’s not complete.  Badass action sequences, tip top performances from Cruise and Freeman, sexual tension and a solid plot land this one a 8 on the meter.