Oblivion (2013 film)

And how can a man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods?

Oblivion is a post‐apocalyptic Science Fiction film starring Tom Cruise.

After an alien race called the Scavs destroyed the Moon, mankind fought back and won, but Earth was laid waste in the process. The human race fled to the Tet, a space station orbiting the earth, in preparation for an eventual colonization of Titan. Only two people remain—Jack and Victoria, two technicians (and lovers) who have been left behind to maintain the Tet’s earth‐based fusion generators until they’ve generated enough to make the journey possible. Despite having had his memory wiped for security purposes, Jack is haunted by fragments of impossible dreams. When a spacecraft containing a woman he recognizes crash lands nearby, things start to fall apart.

Tropes used in Oblivion (2013 film) include:

After the End: Of the Alien Invasion variety.
Arc Words: “Are you an effective team?” Developer commentary explains that the Tet is so eager to have Julia because the Jack/Vika combination tends to eventually fail, and they want to see if Jack/Julia works better.
- “Another day in paradise.”
Detonation Moon: Destroyed by the Scavs sixty years before the events of the movie, in order to lay waste to Earth through earthquakes and tidal waves. Actually done by the Tet, for the same reasons, a fact that’s hidden from Jack and Vika.
Human All Along: The Scavs were never aliens, and they didn’t blow up the moon.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Jack spends several minutes in a dogfight taking down two of three drones. When his ship is damaged and starts to go down, he manages to take the last one out with a single shot from his sidearm.
Machine Monotone: Sally from Mission Control speaks in a delightful Southern twang, until she’s revealed to be Not Even Human—once she starts talking to Jack, her audio starts glitching out and you can hear the synthesized voice underneath.
Scenery Porn: This movie and Tron: Legacy, both Joseph Kosinski, exemplify his beautiful visual style.
Shout-Out: Clearly takes inspiration from lots of other sci‐fi—Moon, 2001, Planet of the Apes, The Matrix, WALL-E… Visually it also bears strong similarity to Tron: Legacy (by the same director) and Prometheus.
Sinister Geometry: The Tet, though it’s not sinister. Except to the Genre Savvy.
Someone to Remember Him By:
Sunglasses at Night: Beech, clearly inspired by Morpheus. Wears his shades even underground and in fights. He’s never shown without them until after he’s been critically injured in the final firefight.