Nathaniel Hoover | Guy Whose Website You're Viewing
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Series Opinions
    • Mega Man >
      • Mega Man Classic >
        • Mega Man 1-6
        • Mega Man 7-11
        • Mega Man Game Boy Games
        • Mega Man Spinoffs
        • Mega Man Remakes
        • Mega Man Sports & Arcade Games
      • Mega Man Sequel Series >
        • Mega Man X1-5
        • Mega Man X6-8 + Command Mission
        • Mega Man X Portable Games
        • Mega Man Zero Series
        • Mega Man ZX Series
        • Mega Man Legends Series
      • Mega Man Spinoff Series >
        • Mega Man Battle Network 1-3 + Network Transmission
        • Mega Man Battle Network 4-6 + Battle Chip Challenge
        • Mega Man Star Force Series
    • Star Trek >
      • Star Trek TV Series >
        • The Original Series (TOS)
        • The Animated Series (TAS)
        • The Next Generation (TNG)
        • Deep Space Nine (DS9)
        • Voyager (VOY)
        • Enterprise (ENT)
      • TOS Films >
        • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
        • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
        • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
        • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
        • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
        • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
      • TNG Films >
        • Star Trek: Generations
        • Star Trek: First Contact
        • Star Trek: Insurrection
        • Star Trek: Nemesis
      • Ones That Don't Count >
        • Star Trek (2009)
        • Star Trek Into Darkness
        • Star Trek Beyond
        • Discovery
        • Picard
  • Games
    • Mega Man Fangame Tracker
    • OH JOES! (A Proto Man Adventure)
  • Presentations
  • Writing Samples

On Oblivion

4/28/2013

0 Comments

 
My wife and I went out this week to see Oblivion, the Tom Cruise film that's already my top candidate for favorite new film of the year. I watch a lot of sci-fi both old and new, and one of the things that appeals to me about Oblivion is how many things it does right. Sure, it's entertaining and thought-provoking and stuff blows up real good, but the movie is crafted in such a way that it transcends the basic hooks of premise, characters, and the novelty of the sci-fi elements to engage the viewer. I think plenty of science fiction movies—and movies in general—could stand to learn a thing or two from Oblivion.

Lesson #1: Set the Stage

Whether it's aliens, futuristic technology, or a post-apocalyptic setting, something about your sci-fi universe is going to be unfamiliar to the viewer, no matter how many times they've seen it in other films. Sometimes it works to be thrown into the action and figure things out as you go (see: Star Wars), but even then there's a certain amount of context that needs to be established. Oblivion takes the time to explain loads of backstory before the movie really begins, but the exposition is concise and effective—within the first five minutes, I had a firm grasp of the universe, these characters, and the life they lead, immersing me in the story before much of anything had happened. All too often I've seen movies devote too much screen time to introductions and backstory that are vital, but delay the start of the main plot (see: Harry Potter). Just as often I've seen movies that tell you nothing, possibly glossing over some critical backstory more than halfway through the film (see: Star Trek (2009)). Oblivion tells you everything you need to know up front, devoting the rest of its running time to telling the main story and further developing these characters you feel like you already know.

Lesson #2: Subvert Expectations

A hero lands in an empty field to repair a damaged drone that was shot down by scavengers. As the screenwriter, you should:

a) allow the hero to fix the drone, but be ambushed by scavengers on the way back
b) allow the hero to fix the drone, but have it malfunction and try to attack him
c) allow the hero to fix the drone, and go about his business

Most any other movie would've picked a) or b), but Oblivion frequently comes up with an option c). Murphy's Law is usually in constant effect elsewhere in the cinema world, because turncoat technology and overwhelming odds tend to make for better drama than when things go as planned. Oblivion uses this to great effect—every time something goes right, it builds greater tension for the things that go wrong. Veering away from the obvious while staying within the realm of reasonable possibility makes the story feel more authentic and less contrived, and it's easier to invest the audience in your story when they really don't know what will happen to the characters.

Even in the places where things do happen as you expect them to (a few minor deus-ex-machina moments come to mind), they're not overdramatized.

Lesson #3: Use Death Responsibly

From the noblest of heroes to the lowliest of Stormtroopers, people die in movies all the time. Death is often a climactic emotional gut-punch (see: Serenity) or an obligatory component of action sequences (see: Flash Gordon); all too infrequently do characters die as a natural consequence of choices and chance. Oblivion kills off its share of individuals, whether we know their names or not; the difference is that it would do the same regardless of whether an audience was watching.

Lesson #4: Always Keep One More Secret Up Your Sleeve

Oblivion is full of plot twists. Sometimes it's an unexpected revelation about the plot; sometimes it's the unexpected actions of the characters; sometimes it's a bona-fide out-of-the-blue surprise. Up until the very end, there's always something more for the viewer to discover about the characters and the universe. This also makes for a fresh experience re-watching the film, knowing now what you didn't know then.


Overall? I could stand to see more movies like Oblivion.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    See what my wife's up to!
    Things I Put In My Husband's Lunch

    Archives

    April 2022
    November 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Anime
    Art
    Books
    Collecting And Collectables
    Conventions And Events
    Exfanding Your Horizons
    Fantasy
    Food
    Gamecola
    Holidays
    Internet
    MaGMML
    Marriage
    Mega Man
    Movies
    Music
    News
    OH JOES!
    Opinion
    Philosophy
    Politics
    Religion
    Retrospective
    Sci Fi
    Social Media
    Star Trek
    Star Wars
    Stories
    Television
    Video Games
    Videos
    Writing

    Creative Commons License
    This work by Nathaniel Hoover is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.