Oblivion (2013)

After a long break from routine, I'm slowly wading back into the calmer waters. What might the calmer waters include? MOVIES! WOOHOO! Now that I have been introduced to Ultraviolet, the movie cloud, I'm even more excited!

The first movie I watched on my shared Ultraviolet library was Oblivion with Tom Cruise. Although other actors are in it, Tom Cruise commands the entire movie...like a movie hog. The only other well-known actor is Morgan Freeman and trailing far behind is the guy who plays "Jaime Lannister" from Game of Thrones. I'm not at all saying that a movie needs to have well-known actors to be good. This is just clearly the Tom Cruise show. Quite frankly I can't tell if he saved the movie or ruined it with his persona.

Oblivion is a strange one. Intriguing story but lacking in it's delivery. Every moment is just one step away from being great. In the end, it feels like you woke up and you're trying to tell someone your dream really quickly before you forget. This movie feels like they took a rushed synopsis of a dream instead of using it as a foundation to expound upon. Even if they had done that, the concept would be better suited for a tv show.

Worth a watch if you like Tom Cruise, but otherwise you're not missing much if you skip it.

On a scale of 1-10, Oblivion is 6.5

Jack Reacher (2012)

Not bad. The trailers and media promote Jack Reacher as being some kind of anti-law anti-hero with a vendetta. That's off-the-mark. Reacher is a badass detective with above average abilities...in everything.

This movie is like The Firm (1993) meets Punisher (2004). Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher is very much like Thomas Jane as Punisher, without the vendetta, and the story is like The Firm because of it's suspense, crime, and investigative aspects.

Maybe it's Tom Cruise's character or the way he delivers him, but the movie has an old school comic book hero feel to it, hence The Punisher. The main villain is cheesy to boot.

It's a little low on the action considering it's a Tom Cruise movie, but there is still enough to not be completely disappointed.

There are a lot of unnecessary looks and stares and slow scenic movements like they're putting onto film a Stephen King chapter of descriptive scenery. We see it, we get it, move on.

Surprisingly Tom Cruise is funny! It's my favorite aspect of the entire movie. Oh and bonus...Robert Duvall is in it too.

Overall, it's decently entertaining.

On a scale of 1-10, Jack Reacher: 7.0