Desolate landscapes. The stability of the environment in jeopardy. Knowledge and free-thinking prohibited by leaders.  No, this isn’t the Republicans version of America. This is the setting for Tom Cruise’s latest action flick “Oblivion”, which arrives from director Joseph Kosinski (“Tron: Legacy”).

Sixty years after alien forces attack Earth, the planet is uninhabitable and only contains two humans; Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). The duo is in charge of making sure what’s left on Earth (namely, drones that detect remnants of alien life). However, Jack eventually begins to ask questions that will open new doors and revelations for him, and soon he’ll have to make choices that will alter humanity forever.

“Oblivion” may not be a reboot or a remake (it’s based on a graphic novel), but the movie feels like a mixture of some famous sci-fi flicks from years past. Sure, “Avatar” is essentially the blue-cat-people version of “Dances With Wolves”, but the film’s unique execution and superb visual and directing elevated that movie to masterpiece status.

Sadly, “Oblivion” has nothing of that quality, instead settling for ripping off everything from “Moon” to “Portal” to “2001: A Space Odyssey” to “Adventure Time” to “The Road”. Suffice to say, there’s not an original idea in this movie, which is a pity since posters and trailers made it look like the flick had a unique presentation of a post-apocalyptic tale.

While I’ll keep this review, like all my reviews, spoiler free, as the trailers have hinted there’s a twist of sorts in the film. If you’re looking for such subtlety in the movie itself, don’t hold your breath; the only way they could make things more obvious if they had large colored arrows that said “BAD GUY” or “KEY PLOT POINT”.  I’m not asking for a level of subtlety and writing found in “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”; but frankly, from writer Michael Arndt (writer of a little movie called “Toy Story 3” and the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode VII”) this should’ve been so much more than the mess it winds up being.

Also, on the note of the sub-par screenplay, I beg of people writing Tom Cruise’s films: give the man’s characters some depth.  I get the feeling all the people who are in charge of his characters and their personalities feel like the actor is well known and liked enough that such respect will carry the character through the course of a film.  The character isn’t bad, and I always enjoy seeing Tom Cruise, but I just felt no emotion whatsoever for him thanks to the shabby writing.

I was given a surprise for this “Oblivion” screening, in that it was presented in IMAX. I’m a huge fan of both 3D and the IMAX format, but felt it was a mixed bag here. Unlike “The Dark Knight Rises” or the upcoming “Star Trek: Into Darkness”, the film wasn’t shot with special IMAX cameras, but instead converted into the IMAX format in post-production. Thanks to this, many shots in the film look oddly fuzzy or grainy,the first time I’ve seen that in an IMAX film and inexcusable considering how wonderful most movies look in the format. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the sound system was breathtaking, beyond immersive and giving the movie a whole new sense of life. Still, I’d pass on the IMAX format for this movie and wait until films like “Pacific Rim” or “Man of Steel” come in IMAX 3D.

“Oblivion” has some fun action sequences, and Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman do their best with the subpar material given to them. I really wanted to like “Oblivion”, being a massive sci-fi nut and all, but the film left me disappointed with it’s script and underdeveloped characters. There was some undeniable promise here, but all that promise winds up being lost in the “Oblivion”