Jurassic Park and Oblivion

This will be an unfair review, in that it's probably impossible for you to act upon the information contained within.  This review is only really helpful for those who had good enough sense to see "Jurassic Park" and "Oblivion" without first consulting me.  The reason for this, is that both of these films were recently shown in the IMAX format, but have most likely been bumped in your area by a little movie called "Iron Man 3" (by the way, I'm going to pretend that "The Avengers" was "Iron Man 2").

20 years ago, as school was closing for Summer, I went to see "Jurassic Park" with my dad and brother(s).  It was a ground-breaking visual achievement then, and not only does it hold-up well today, it actually puts to shame so many current movies.  The line which stands out for me, and is applicable here is, " your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should" (Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm).  Alright so maybe it's not directly applicable to what I'm about to say, but it's a decent segue...  So many movies, which depend on special effects, seem to bite-off more than they can chew.  Instead of showing restraint and utilizing effective effects, all too often we are subjected to shoddy workmanship, which jolts us out of the movie viewing experience.  It is my position that Spielberg understood this temptation, and teases the viewer in an early scene (with the Brachiosaurus eating from the tree).  At this early stage he allows us one moment where we can think "that's not real, who'd be afraid of that?".  From that point on the dinosaurs are so convincing; whether models, puppets, or digital, that we believed every moment of it.  My brother David texted that it was awesome in the theater, so I went to see it again.
He was right.

"Oblivion" is ground-breaking in a more subtle way that "Jurassic Park".  Here the effects, stunts, and performances are seamless; I challenge you to detect where the real ends and the simulated begins.  Sure the story seems like a mish-mash of all the best science fiction films of the last 30+ years, but at least they "borrowed" from the best.  Some "Matrix", a little "Blade Runner", a nod to "Wall-e", a dash of "Planet of the Apes", and even some "Fight Club" just to spice things up.  Please allow me to stray off on a tangent for just a moment:  If Heaven doesn't include the good parts of Earth; Mt Princeton, Point Reyes, the hills of Tennessee, etc.  then I think that it would be impossible not to miss them.  As Tom Cruise's character in "Oblivion" is faced with the inevitability that he must leave Earth, for a more civilized place, he is sad.  This film could be easily be construed as an argument against  war, or an environmental sermon, or perhaps an admonishment directed towards those who put blind faith in those with authority.  Ultimately, it is a surprisingly beautiful film, which have the potential to spark deep thought, without requiring it to enjoy the ride.