Directed by Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt
“Edge of Tomorrow” plays out a lot like a video game.
I don’t mean this in the sense that’s it’s immature and sophomoric like say “The Amazing Spider-man 2” or worse yet “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” but it literally is like a video game.
(There are some things worse than “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”…)
You play once through, you make a mistake, you die, then you go back to your last save mode and try to beat it again.
The funny thing is this “live, die, repeat” plot line isn’t too shabby and for the most part “Edge of Tomorrow” succeeds in a surprisingly enjoyable science fiction film.
The film tells the story of Major William Cage who, after being conscripted into the first wave of an Earth counter-attack against an alien invasion, gains the power to restart the timeline each time he dies in battle.
Now he has to find a way to defeat the enemy before they find a way to beat him.
(Oooooh shiiiit!)
“Edge of Tomorrow” is indeed a nice surprise to the summer film season.
Tom Curise has been on somewhat of a losing streak of late dating back to 2012’s “Rock of Ages” and most recently with “Oblivion” in 2013 and it wouldn’t have been surprising if this film was a dud too.
I mean, “Groundhog Day” with guns? Would it work?
(Insert childish explosion noise here)
Surprisingly, the answer is an emphatic yes and it’s not just because the visuals are superb, the action is well done and Emily Blunt is as hot as ever.
(Oh yeah…)
Tom Cruise is actually one of the biggest reasons the film is as enjoyable as it is.
Cruise’s on screen charisma has always been his strongest skill as an actor but he also manages to present a pretty deep character as well.
As Cruise’s character keeps going back in time he grows, gains more knowledge and not to mention becomes a real badass killing machine.
(Visual of Tom Cruise firing his agent after the reviews for “Jack Reacher”…)
But what makes this interesting is how everything remains the same around him.
Cruise’s character knows exactly what’s going to happen, when and where and as he keeps going back he is forced to relive it over and over again while everybody remains blissfully unaware.
He grows from being an apathetic coward to gradually becoming a reluctant hero who bares the responsibility of holding the key to winning the war.
It’s an interesting dynamic and it plays better than expected in this movie.
Cruise’s onscreen chemistry with Blunt is also fantastic.
They play off each other greatly with Blunt being a badass warrior woman from the get go and Cruise evolving into the war hero he eventually becomes.
You can thank “Mr. and Mrs Smith” director Doug Lima for expertly working that in.
It was nice also to see Blunt not play a typical damsel in distress too.
Blunt’s character is awesome all by herself and a movie just about her could work just as well.
(Save THIS!)
In any case “Edge of Tomorrow” is a solid night at the movies and will satisfy the appetites of action junkies and sci-fi nerds a like.
Here’s to seeing more Tom Cruise films like this and less of “Oblivion.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
“I’m so sorry for ‘Rock of Ages’”