'Oblivion': Cool New Secrets from the Blu-ray

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Tom Cruise's sci-fi thriller Oblivion lands on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, August 6, and in celebration of the release, I got the opportunity to not only learn some surprising secrets about this visual effects spectacle, but sit in the cockpit of the same Bubbleship that Tom soars in onscreen!

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"This kind of notion of a daylight science-fiction film is definitely more of a '70s aesthetic," says director Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy), citing the films of Kubrick and Antonioni for the look and feel of Oblivion. "Planet of the Apes, La Jete are both kind of big influences, Twilight Zone the TV show, for me, was something I watched kind of religiously as a kid, and so all those stories are influences in various ways."

Watch the video for more about the film with Kosinski, who reflects on his collaborative effort with Cruise, plus a breakdown of the fantastic Bubbleship with concept designer Daniel Simon and special effects secrets with Digital Domain SFX supervisor Eric Barba and Pixomondo SFX supervisor Bjoern Mayer.

Oblivion finds Tom as Jack Harper, one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth in 2077, part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of conflict. Patrolling the skies and ever-vigilant of the deadly enemy on the ground, Jack's soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger (played by Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. In an effort to rescue her, Jack comes to realize that her arrival has triggered a chain of events that will force him to question his mission -- and very existence.

Related Video: Tom Cruise's 'Oblivion' Explained

Co-starring Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo and Morgan Freeman, the Oblivion Blu-ray contains such bonus features as feature-length commentary by Cruise and Kosinski; deleted scenes; an isolated score option; and Promise of a New World: The Making of Oblivion, an in-depth, multi-part featurette.