Joseph Kosinski
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Connections, in both directions
But by the very nature of Harper's mandated 'mind wipe,' Cruise comes off as a bit robotic and Kosinksi's story is such a mishmash of those that have come before, everything from "WALL*E" to "Star Wars" to "Total Recall" to "An Affair to Remember," that instead of becoming immersed in it, it becomes a game of spot the reference.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Kosinski's film seems haunted by vestigial memories of its own, containing as it does repeated echoes of films as diverse as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Planet of the Apes," "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," the animated "Wall*E" and even the classic romance "An Affair to Remember."
Oblivion is so much like and influenced by so many other movies that it doesn’t top or transcend — The Matrix, I Am Legend, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Aliens, Vertigo, Cloud Atlas, Inception, An Affair to Remember.
Along the way, my mind turned to "Wall-E," "Moon," "Independence Day," and even "An Affair to Remember," to name only a few of the many other works Kosinski borrows from.
Oblivion must be the only science-fiction film that borrows substantially from I Am Legend, WALL-E and Sleepless in Seattle — itself a remake of 1957’s An Affair to Remember, which was a remake of 1939’s Love Affair.
You know a pictures derivative when a list of titles in the same genre technically constitutes a string of spoilers Blade Runner, Independence Day, The Matrix, Moon, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, WALL-E, 2001.
So despite the fact that well-read sci-fi fanatics might get distracted while mentally ticking off familiar plot points (Independence Day, Moon) and visual references (2001: A Space Odyssey), the upside is that, derivative as Oblivion may be in many respects, it still manages to hold our attention by presenting compelling ideas about our concept of reality, and prodding our imaginations by avoiding simple answers and explanations.
, who proved with "Independence Day" that you can make an entire entertainment out of nothing but shameless references to past sci-fi hits.
Along the way, my mind turned to "Wall-E," "Moon," "Independence Day," and even "An Affair to Remember," to name only a few of the many other works Kosinski borrows from.
Cuz then you walk into Oblivion with no recollection of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Independence Day and 2012 and The Road Warrior and Planet of the Apes and the entire history of science fiction movies, and hence you’ll enjoy yourself ever so much more.
Focusing on duplicating a litany of big screen inspirations like Independence Day, Moon and, surprisingly, The English Patient, Kosinski doesn’t seem interested in carving out a unique voice for himself.
Sci-fi zealots might find it fun to count off the references to “La Jetee,” “Planet of the Apes,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
It's a mixture of La jetée , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Planet of the Apes , Total Recall and Wall-E .
This sort of viewer-insulting writing is entirely typical of the film's continuing deference to simplicity, where every sensationalistic twist is either telegraphed too far in advance or all too cheaply withheld, the sum total of its gasp-stacking turnabouts little more than Moon meets a thinly veiled La Jetée —or, frankly, any other two science-fiction films with novel twists you'd care to name, since Oblivion is indiscriminate about the sources it rips off.
If Kosinski really wanted to make a sci-fi movie in the spirit of early classics like Chris Marker’s La Jetée and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris as he has mentioned , then he should have engaged more fully with his characters’ personal crises and not added Morgan Freeman and Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to muddle things up, brooding around in “Matrix”-like outfits with capes and making big, dumb speeches.
But Cruise plays Jack’s reactions so convincingly that you can’t help but go along with them, and Kosinski crafts an immersive world that borrows from the long history of science-fiction cinema (including Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, to name a few) without coming off as a direct rip-off of anything in particular.
Sci-fi zealots might find it fun to count off the references to “La Jetee,” “Planet of the Apes,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
And it doesn't help that the film’s mysteries unravel so slowly that the film is three-fourths over by the time Act One breaks, nor that the plot developments are, on the whole, so by-the-numbers it’s impossible not to dwell on the crater-sized plot holes and the countless cribbings from much better movies like Total Recall, Planet of the Apes, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
You know a pictures derivative when a list of titles in the same genre technically constitutes a string of spoilers Blade Runner, Independence Day, The Matrix, Moon, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, WALL-E, 2001.
Plot points, images, and themes are cobbled together from a raft of sci-fi films including The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon, Wall-E, and Planet of the Apes, among others.
It's a mixture of La jetée , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Planet of the Apes , Total Recall and Wall-E .
…possibly since “Days of Thunder,”…
One of the following three movies is on the TV, no earlier than half over: Days of Thunder, Remember the Titans, or Glory Road.
In order to see the issues in F1: The Movie clearly, I have to talk about Days of Thunder (again).
It's a film that makes Days of Thunder look downright subtle and muted.
It’s a drama with Formula One racing, blondes who look at computer screens with wavy speed lines, cocky kids who Learn A Lesson, and Brad Pitt.
Racing films are landmarks of dad cinema, from ‘90s classics like Days of Thunder to recent bangers like the Oscar-winning Ford v Ferrari…
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Directed by James Mangold
influenced by F1 (2025), Only the Brave (2017), Oblivion (2013), TRON: Legacy (2010)
Themes Visuals Plot
You can see the influence of better racing films in the DNA: the bruised poetry of Ford v Ferrari, the tight emotional structure of Rush, even the metaphorical sweetness of Cars.
…those seeking a similar aesthetic thrill can also find it elsewhere, with recent titles springing to mind including James Mangold’s Ford vs. Ferrari…
…it does not touch the hem of being as memorable and superb as “Ford v Ferrari” (2019), the definitive racing classic film.
The film, which lands in theaters June 27 before a streaming release on Apple TV+, is a deft addition to a sturdy lineage of motorsport flicks, from Rush and Gran Turismo to Ford v Ferrari and, most recently, Ferrari.
…or the dramatic punch of Ford v Ferrari…
As opposed to true stories like Rush or Ford vs Ferrari, fictional ‘be all you can be’ motor-racing films are few and far between…
Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
influenced Oblivion (2013), TRON: Legacy (2010)
Plot Themes Visuals
It calls up fleeting images from things like Star Wars , The Road Warrior , and Top Gun, but more importantly, it borrows at least half the plot from Duncan Jones's amazing, underrated Moon (2009).
There are distracting vibes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Wall-E, Total Recall, TV’s Battlestar Galactica, the underrated Moon — even Star Wars.
And writer-director Joseph Kosinski has nabbed bits of "Star Wars," "WALL-E," "Independence Day," "The Matrix" and so many other films that after-movie discussions will surely involve pin-that-scene-on-what-donkey games.
If J.J. Abrams wanted to hire him to revamp the look of Star Wars, I doubt anyone would object.
Oblivion is so much like and influenced by so many other movies that it doesn't top or transcend The Matrix, I Am Legend, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Aliens, Vertigo, Cloud Atlas, Inception, An Affair to Remember.
You know a pictures derivative when a list of titles in the same genre technically constitutes a string of spoilers Blade Runner, Independence Day, The Matrix, Moon, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, WALL-E, 2001.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
influenced Oblivion (2013), TRON: Legacy (2010)
Themes Plot
But Cruise plays Jack’s reactions so convincingly that you can’t help but go along with them, and Kosinski crafts an immersive world that borrows from the long history of science-fiction cinema (including Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, to name a few) without coming off as a direct rip-off of anything in particular.
Sci-fi zealots might find it fun to count off the references to “La Jetee,” “Planet of the Apes,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
And it doesn't help that the film’s mysteries unravel so slowly that the film is three-fourths over by the time Act One breaks, nor that the plot developments are, on the whole, so by-the-numbers it’s impossible not to dwell on the crater-sized plot holes and the countless cribbings from much better movies like Total Recall, Planet of the Apes, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Plot points, images, and themes are cobbled together from a raft of sci-fi films including The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon, Wall-E, and Planet of the Apes, among others.
Like that movie, “Oblivion” incorporates all sorts of themes, ideas and images from science-fiction cinema of the last several decades, including “Blade Runner,” “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris,” among others.
It's a mixture of La jetée , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Planet of the Apes , Total Recall and Wall-E .
It’s got that classic Hollywood flair that hearkens back to golden-age films like Le Mans and Grand Prix…
…previous racing films (WINNING, LE MANS)…
I have always loved the thrill of racing movies like “Grand Prix (1966),” “Ford v. Ferrari (2019)” and, my favorite, “Le Mans (1971)”…
McQueen was 41 with Le Mans…
Yes, we’ve had high-profile racing movies before. Rush, Ford v Ferrari, Days of Thunder, Le Mans and Pixar’s Cars.
Steve McQueen’s 1971 Le Mans has the race-car footage but minimal human-being drama…
But Cruise plays Jack’s reactions so convincingly that you can’t help but go along with them, and Kosinski crafts an immersive world that borrows from the long history of science-fiction cinema (including Solaris, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, to name a few) without coming off as a direct rip-off of anything in particular.
Like that movie, “Oblivion” incorporates all sorts of themes, ideas and images from science-fiction cinema of the last several decades, including “Blade Runner,” “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris,” among others.
Oblivion lifts liberally from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, Moon, Sunshine, WALL-E, and pretty much every other science fiction film worth a damn.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love asteroid collisions, alien death rays and intergalactic battles as much as the next nerd, but there is still a lot to be said for the likes of “2001,” “Solaris” (which I still think would be a great name for a midsized Chevy sedan) and “Moon,” just to name a few.
It’s disappointing that after a promising start, the big-budget “Oblivion” fails at the kind of twisty tug-of-war stuff a small movie like “Moon” did so memorably.
The movie's not bad for a while, but it's made of spare parts from a lot of other movies, among them "Total Recall," "2001: A Space Odyssey," the "2001" riff "Moon," a certain recent play by Caryl Churchill (can't say; spoiler) and a few others.
To get there, it piggybacks on the likes of " I Am Legend ," " The Matrix ," " Independence Day ," and " Moon ."
It may not be a direct remake of 2001, but boy does it borrow plenty of design and story elements from that movie, as well as from such other sci-fi features as Moon, Wall-E and even Zardoz.
Co-writer-director Joseph Kosinski (“TRON: Legacy”) digs all the way to the back of the refrigerator for “Oblivion,” taking leftover bits of “The Matrix,” “WALL-E,” “2001,” “Moon” and “Planet of the Apes,” among countless other science-fiction classics, and putting them into a slick, shiny and state-of-the-art crock pot.
It calls up fleeting images from things like Star Wars , The Road Warrior , and Top Gun, but more importantly, it borrows at least half the plot from Duncan Jones's amazing, underrated Moon (2009).
Top Gun (1986)
Directed by Tony Scott
influenced F1 (2025), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Oblivion (2013)
Themes Visuals Plot
Jerry Bruckheimer’s attempt to shoehorn “Top Gun” into an earthbound jet…
…you could say “F1” uses car racing much like “Top Gun” used flying fighter planes. And much like “Top Gun”, Kosinski’s film features its own perfectly cast A-lister who brings some notable star wattage to an already brilliant movie.
Ebert writes that “the archetypal Tom Cruise Movie is Top Gun, in which the young fighter pilot, a natural, was tutored by a once-great pilot and emotionally nurtured by an older female flight instructor before testing his wings against the hot dogs of his unit, in preparation for a final showdown.”
The other element that Top Gun: Maverick had that was essential to its success was the original Top Gun, which provided legacyquel plot threads like Maverick’s relationship with his old rival Iceman, along with a genuine emotional through line.
Loosely doing for Days of Thunder what Top Gun: Maverick did for Top Gun…
Just as Tony Scott segued from the unforgettable Top Gun skies to the middling Days of Thunder racetrack, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski transitions from Tom Cruise aerial heroics to Brad Pitt speedway action with F1.
Blade Runner (1982)
Directed by Ridley Scott
influenced Oblivion (2013), TRON: Legacy (2010)
Themes Music Characters
You know a pictures derivative when a list of titles in the same genre technically constitutes a string of spoilers Blade Runner, Independence Day, The Matrix, Moon, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, WALL-E, 2001.
Like that movie, “Oblivion” incorporates all sorts of themes, ideas and images from science-fiction cinema of the last several decades, including “Blade Runner,” “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris,” among others.
An ear-grabbing score led by M83, the French electronic band helmed by Anthony Gonzalez, teases themes from sci-fi movies past (Star Wars and Blade Runner among them).
I would describe the movie as a mash-up of The Matrix, Blade Runner, and Planet of the Apes, but that makes it sound better than it is.
The orbs have a rapport with Jack that gives you that Blade Runner replicant feeling about him.
And I found myself wondering if co-writer/director Joseph Kosinski had put that voice-over in originally, or if it was the result of prodding by the suits, a la Blade Runner.
…golden-age films like Le Mans and Grand Prix…
…there is one homage to Grand Prix that I cannot wait to watch again, where Hayes and Pearce are starting a race and we see them both in split screen.
I have always loved the thrill of racing movies like “Grand Prix (1966),” “Ford v. Ferrari (2019)” and, my favorite, “Le Mans (1971)”…
Great racing flicks of the past such as John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix made much of the death wish that then haunted drivers.
John Frankenheimer’s 1966 Grand Prix looks good but is overloaded with soap-opera storylines…
The film it should most resemble is John Frankenheimer’s F1 classic Grand Prix from 1966. That movie boasts the same “one racing season” structure, same protagonist in Yves Montand’s ancient petrolhead and the same insider’s look at the racing milieu.
“Oblivion” pays homage to modern classic sci-fi films such as “The Matrix,” “The Terminator,” the original “Total Recall” and tons of shout outs to “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back” without making it feel like a complete rip-off.
Everything from the glorious Minority Report to last year's dreadful Total Recall remake walk a fine line between creating an impressive dystopic future world and falling in love with it; nearly all of these movies end with our heroes rejecting the sleek new technology in favor of a rougher, more human life, even if we've spent the entire film being dazzled by the future we're supposed to fear.
All of those are very much in evidence in "Oblivion," but sci-fi fans will detect additional echoes of recent genre touchstones including "Total Recall," "The Matrix," "Moon" and even "WALL-E."
There are hints of mind-tampering (Total Recall) as Jack and Vika (Andrea Riseborough), his British partner and bedmate, take orders from a computer named Sally, a magnolia-voiced Melissa Leo (think HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey).
Although Universal’s publicity department has asked that journalists refrain from spilling the secrets of “ Oblivion ,” the major revelations, once they arrive, will hardly surprise anyone familiar with “Total Recall,” “The Matrix” and the countless other sci-fi touchstones hovering over this striking, visually resplendent adventure.
And it doesn't help that the film’s mysteries unravel so slowly that the film is three-fourths over by the time Act One breaks, nor that the plot developments are, on the whole, so by-the-numbers it’s impossible not to dwell on the crater-sized plot holes and the countless cribbings from much better movies like Total Recall, Planet of the Apes, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This reminded me of Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014), which also examined similar themes of human nature and oppression.
In the spirit of Black Mirror and Ex Machina , the fifth feature from director Joseph Kosinski ( Tron Legacy , Top Gun: Maverick ) is a contained tech-thriller brimming with ideas.
Kosinski’s camera adds sleek sterility to the world, enhancing the Ex Machina vibes with clean and simple cinematography.
His new sci-fi thriller, "Spiderhead," which drops on Netflix Friday, is a thematically thought-provoking but overly familiar addition to the genre of "Black Mirror" and "Ex Machina."
With its larger intellectual concerns and general coldness, you’d think the director was Alex Garland (”Ex Machina,” “Annihilation,” “Men”).
Having almost as much fun as Oscar Isaac did in Ex Machina , and even getting a similar dance routine, Hemsworth is the most immaculately groomed Bond villain ever, a bespectacled pharmaceutical bro who says things like, “Pressure forms diamonds,” when he’s not performing heinous experiments on his captives.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Directed by Brian De Palma
influenced Top Gun: Maverick (2022), F1 (2025)
Plot Visuals
I read that the budget reached $300 million, on par with the latest Mission Impossible movies.
While Cruise has been using past franchises (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, Jack Reacher) to fuel his career lately…
Director Joseph Kosinski ( TRON: Legacy , Oblivion ) has studied the first film with an electron microscope, and a series of writers that includes star Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (as well as Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer) have pieced together a story that beat-for-beat matches sequences and character types of the original to a degree that it’s somewhat alarming.
Although having almost fifty credits to his name, it is arguably the combination of his roles as Mission Impossible ’s Ethan Hunt and Maverick that are most synonymous with the actor.
This time he brought onboard his Mission: Impossible partner Christopher McQuarrie and it’s a sequel that outdoes the original, in some part because of how playfully and emotionally it handles the nostalgia and inherent silliness of the concept.
He brought Mission: Impossible a sophistication and elegance reminiscent of the James Bond movies at their best, without losing the fun.
The Matrix (1999)
Directed by Lana Wachowski
influenced Oblivion (2013), TRON: Legacy (2010)
Plot Themes
“Oblivion” pays homage to modern classic sci-fi films such as “The Matrix,” “The Terminator,” the original “Total Recall” and tons of shout outs to “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back” without making it feel like a complete rip-off.
It also is startlingly derivative as Kosinski, who directed 2010's TRON: Legacy, draws from a grab bag of sci-fi predecessors, including WALL•E, Total Recall, Planet of the Apes and The Matrix .
You know a pictures derivative when a list of titles in the same genre technically constitutes a string of spoilers Blade Runner, Independence Day, The Matrix, Moon, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, WALL-E, 2001.
A bit of The Matrix here, a lot of Total Recall there, with touches of Planet of the Apes, The Terminator, and even Wall-E scattered about, Oblivion loses a lot of steam as it forges ahead to its predictable outcome.
Plot points, images, and themes are cobbled together from a raft of sci-fi films including The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon, Wall-E, and Planet of the Apes, among others.
Like that movie, “Oblivion” incorporates all sorts of themes, ideas and images from science-fiction cinema of the last several decades, including “Blade Runner,” “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris,” among others.
Aside from fighting female Phoenix (Barbaro, of TV’s “The Good Cop,” “Stumptown,” etc) reminding us that the Navy’s not just a boy’s club any more, this “boy’s club” engages in the same camaraderie, hijinks and pilots’ piano bar sing-alongs that every fighter pilot movie since “Hell’s Angels” has showcased.
Sophisticated movie magic makes their performances seamless with the exterior airborne shots, while the commitment to filming practically everything practically feels like the cutting-edge equivalent of Howard Hughes’ history-making “Hell’s Angels.”
At least since 2013’s Rush anyway, but never quite so proudly branded as F1…
Not unlike Ron Howard’s Rush, Kosinski knows how to capture adrenaline through camera position and movement, always placing us in just the right spot between the characters or between the vehicles to ramp up the suspense.
You can see the influence of better racing films in the DNA: the bruised poetry of Ford v Ferrari, the tight emotional structure of Rush, even the metaphorical sweetness of Cars.
The film, which lands in theaters June 27 before a streaming release on Apple TV+, is a deft addition to a sturdy lineage of motorsport flicks, from Rush and Gran Turismo to Ford v Ferrari and, most recently, Ferrari.
…owing a variety of debts to prior 'art' like Le Mans '66 and Rush…
For comparison, Ron Howard’s “Rush” told a richer, more human story. And that was half an hour shorter.