The Netflix charts are a curious thing. At one end of the spectrum, the chart, which calculates the viewing hours of particular titles, offers some of the freshest movies and programming around. It has become a showcase of the newly acquired devotion some of the bravest new films have garnered in a short time. At the other end of the spectrum, it provides us with a few curious entries from the past that have gained some audience traction for one reason or another. One such film is a rarely-seen science-fiction film by Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise is an undisputed Hollywood icon and an acting maverick who shows off an American optimism that few other actors dare to so blatantly displayed. Bridging the gap between a schlocky blockbuster superstar and a quality indie performer, Cruise has long been questioned by critics, only to prove them wrong time and time again. Not only is he a quality actor, but he’s also an eccentric mind.
Whilst there are limited stories that prove Cruise’s peculiar life, it is the actor’s consistently quirky and bizarre personality that consolidates him as one of the most exciting actors of all time. Who could forget his infamous advocacy of Scientology in the leaked video in which he rambles on about what sounds like utter nonsense? “We are the authorities on the mind” Cruise utters at one point. Who are we to say otherwise?
Over the years, alongside his somewhat eccentric personality, Cruise has also become the byword for good action movies. In particular, he has a special appreciation for science-fiction and his starring roles in Minority Report and Collateral Damage both hint at the actor’s love of the genre. But they aren’t the films being picked up today by Netflix viewers. No, they’ve opted for something a little more from leftfield, Oblivion.
the 2013 movie won’t stack up as one of Cruise’s greatest. However, it has managed to garner nearly 6 million hours of viewing this week alone. The official synopsis read: “In the year 2077, Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) works as a security repairman on an Earth left empty and devastated after a war with aliens. Jack has two weeks left before his mission ends and he joins his fellow survivors on a faraway colony. However, Jack’s concept of reality comes crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. The woman’s arrival triggers a chain of events that culminates in Jack’s nearly single-handed battle to save mankind.”
While the movie was generally given a pass by most critics, in the ten years since its release, those reviews have trended downwards. However, that hasn’t seemed to deter audiences who may have been intent on getting a classic dose of Tom Cruise, the action man.
Watch Oblivion on Netflix now.
