Where Was Oblivion Filmed? Tom Cruise’s Famous Sci Fi Flick!!

Do you like to watch exhilarating action flicks featuring some of the best actors in Hollywood? If you do, then be sure to read this article, where I discuss Tom Cruise’s famous film, Oblivion. And also let you in on where was Oblivion filmed.

The American multi-starrer movie, Oblivion, released in 2013 was inspired by a graphic novel with the same name that was not published. Director Joseph Kosinski, who’s also the writer of the novel, presents the events that take place on Earth after the apocalypse in which Jack Harper, a commanding officer is shown to take down the remaining Alien species that attacked the planet.

Oblivion, had a huge opening and went on to gross over $268 million in total box office collections against a filming budget of $120 million. The sci-fi adventure flick also earned 17 prestigious nominations and won the ASCAP awards in 2014. Plus, the audiences and critics highly praised this movie, after experiencing the high-flying visuals on IMAX.

Now, let’s explore where was Oblivion filmed. So that you can enjoy the stunning filming locations of this action drama film. And later in this article, I’ll also give you an overview of this movie.

Where Was Oblivion Filmed? Let’s Know This Sci-Fi Flick Closely!

After discussing with the other production heads, Director Joseph Kosinski, initially decided to shoot Oblivion in and around America. But later came to the final conclusion to add Iceland to the list of filming locations. 

The majority of the filming took place in the states of Louisiana and California, while some sequences were shot in Iceland. The principal photography began towards the end of May 2012 and was completed in more or less 3 months. No events were reported as such, which delayed the filming schedule for a number of days. 

Although, there were a few challenges that the production unit faced while shooting at certain locations. Now, without waiting any longer, let’s have a detailed discussion about, where was Oblivion filmed. 

New Orleans, St. Francesville Louisiana

The opening sequence of the film was shot in the city of New Orleans. The production unit had to arrange special permission from the D.A.’s office before filming outdoor scenes in the downtown area. The unit then moved to the town of St. Francesville, to depict the scenes of Earth before the war that took place in 2017. This small town, with a sparse population, was ideal to portray Jack’s home that he spoke about in the film, after regaining his memory.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The filming crew then arrived at the capital of Louisiana to capture the futuristic scenes shown in the movie, which were set in 2077. The Raleigh Studios and Celtic Media Center, located at 10000 Celtic Drive, were used to capture the exterior sequence of planet Earth post-apocalypse. The production crew had to design an entire set, in a way that didn’t come off as too gimmicky. Shooting went on in this set for a considerable amount of time, after which the production unit moved overseas.

Vatnajokull | Iceland

The filming crew readily began shooting after reaching Iceland. The sequence where Jack is shown to admire the gorgeous waterfall was filmed in Vatnajokull National Forest, located in the Northeastern part of Iceland. Other pivotal sequences of the Hrossaborg and Dettifoss were shot before the unit moved on to explore other locations in the southern part of Iceland.

Exterior shots of the Jarlhettur mountain ridge were captured during the night, but interestingly due to the incessant presence of light throughout the 24 hours of the day. The sequence came out brilliant and looked absolutely gorgeous on screen.

Other Filming Locations

Some other significant sequences featured some of the most beautiful natural lakes, such as June and Mammoth Lakes in California. The production unit spent around a week filming the sequence where Jack is shown exploring the forest around these lakes in California.

Plus, to portray the view from the Sky Tower shown in the film, the production unit sent a special filming crew to Hawaii. The Haleakala National Park in Maui was used to capture this particular sequence.

Finally, to shoot the outdoor scene of the devastated Empire State Building, the production unit arrived in the city of New York. Exterior shots of the building were captured initially, which were later morphed and edited in the studio, to make it appear as ransacked.

Alright, guys, it’s time for us to briefly discuss the plot of the film. So that you can get an overview. Meanwhile, you can check out Willow, The Witcher, and The Da Vinci Code, which are entertaining as well.

Plot Of Oblivion | What’s It About

The film opens by introducing us to the character of Jack Harper, one of the officers who is sent on a mission along with Victoria Olsen, to safeguard the natural resources of Earth. After extraterrestrial beings invaded the planet in 2017 and wiped out most of the population.

Later in the film, Jack is shown to discover a cryogenic sleeping chamber. On further prying he finds 5 astronauts resting in their deep sleep. While surveying the planet to exterminate the scavenger aliens who were left behind, the lead actor gets captured by the aliens and is taken to Raven Rock.

Towards the final quarter of the film, Jack regains his lost memory and identifies Ruskova, one of the scientists, as his wife. Meanwhile, Sally, the commander of the mission, kills Olsen and sends a clone to terminate Jack and his wife. Although, in an exhilarating action sequence Beech and Harper, falter Sally’s plans and set off the bomb inside Tet. Ruskova finally reunites with Jack’s clone, after waking up from the sleep pod. The credits roll as Ruskova and Harper finally raise their daughter, and end the Titan mission.

Final Words

Ok guys, now that you know where was Oblivion filmed. I hope you’ll give this film a shot if you haven’t watched it already! And I also hope that you enjoyed the read, and found what you were looking for. Be sure to check out other articles on Viebly.