Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko

I wanted to see this movie at first simply because it was Sci Fi and I like to encourage more movie making in that genre by plunking over a few bucks in support. Then I saw a recent preview and thought huh, it might be a decent story. Plus, it was obviously going to be beautiful to look at and I’m a sucker for eye candy.

It did not disappoint in the visual department. This movie is beautifully filmed. The landscapes are sweeping and awe inspiring. I’ve never seen a destroyed New York City quite like this one. It was so obliterated that it took me some time to figure out exactly where it was taking place. Yes, they make obvious flashbacks to the Empire State Building, but in this dystopian future it does not look like the Empire State Building. At all.

Somewhere along my sight seeing trip to the future I became entangled in the story. I didn’t expect to be…I expected something like the last Transformers fiasco. Pretty visuals, no story. Instead, what played out was a twisty, turning, mind bending tale. I’m having a hard time writing this review because I don’t want to give away one ounce of the plot. I’ll just say that what seemed like plot holes early on turned out to be clues, instead, to a mystery I didn’t even know I was trying to solve.

This movie reminded a bit of Momento in the way nothing was quite like it seemed and the way the clues seemed more like mistakes until the very end. After it was over, I sat there watching the credits roll and thinking “did I enjoy that?”

After realizing I’d been so engrossed in the story that I did not once shift in my seat or look at a watch, I have to admit that yes, I did. In a thought provoking kind of way. It’s not an action/adventure, shoot ’em up futuristic Star Wars type of movie. It’s a love story, set in a dystopian future, with really awesome flying car ship things. I would really, really love to have one of those!

Tom Cruise did a great job in this, as did Morgan Freeman (I would expect no less). All the acting was well done, and kudos to the director for delivering the story without confusing the heck out of me or making it all about the special effects. While there are plenty of those, they serve the story rather than become it.

The hubby liked the movie too, although he had the same difficulty explaining why that I’m having. It bent our minds and entertained us, which is about all we can ask for. If you’re looking for a decent sci-fi with enough action for the guys and enough romance for the girls, this is for you. Worth seeing on the big screen for the scenery alone.

If you’d like another take on the movie before you decide, head on over to Tameri’s review! (click the image)