March 28, 2024

You pick: Intellectual art house film or sci-fi action thriller

You know you want to see “Oblivion.”

For some, that’s because it has Tom Cruise. For others, it’s Morgan Freeman who has grabbed their fancy. Still a few have been drawn in by the stunning visuals, and the intense sci-fi action.

For a very small number of you, like me, perhaps it’s all of the above.

So, I can now say I’ve seen this robin of the fast-approaching summer blockbuster season, the harbinger of must-see movie viewing to come. And, I can honestly say you should, too.

Without spoilers, we’ll get past a few of the obligatory answers:

For those of you who love Tom Cruise (mostly women), yes, he strips off his shirt. For those of you who have a problem with him (mostly men), yes, he runs — a lot — and looks somewhat ridiculous when he’s doing it.

Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman at nearly 80 years old. He could have stood to have more screen time in my estimation, but the time he gets is darn-near priceless.

If you’re looking for an intellectual art house film, “Oblivion” probably has you covered. But, if you’re looking for an intense, sci-fi action thriller to tide you over until “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” arrive in a few weeks, you’re covered, too.

Take your pick.

In the interest of honesty, two critiques:

First, the language at times is a little unnecessarily coarse, but it was somewhat expected. However, the blatant sexuality (it’s extremely brief and there’s not much nudity involved), seemed almost contrived. For the most part, it held no real purpose to the overall story.

Second, the story tends to “jump ahead” a lot, and doesn’t bother to explain how things moved forward. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which I cannot ask without spoiling the film for you. I think this happened because the filmmakers wanted the audience to connect with all of the characters.

But “Oblivion” is worth the time and, more importantly, the money to see this weekend.

Also Showing:

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”

Having infiltrated the highest levels of the U.S. government, the evil terrorist organization Cobra eliminates all but a small band of the G.I. Joe elite military unit in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (PG-13; 1 hr. 45 min.). The remaining “Joes” must work together to stop a plot that could put the entire world on its knees before the Cobra Commander.

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Jonathan Pryce, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum.

Capitol II Show Times: 7:15 and 9:45 p.m. Friday; 1:45, 4:30, 7:15 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, 1:45, 4:30 and 7:15 Sunday; 7:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday