Movie Info
Movie Name: Edge of Tomorrow
Studio: Village Roadshow
Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): May 28, 2014 (UK)/June 6, 2014 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
I’ve had better day(s)
Aliens known as the Mimics have invaded the Earth. Based out of Europe, the Earth has been fighting for five years to stop the Mimics advances. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) has been brought in to spin the war and as the United Defense Force prepares for a major surprise assault on France, Cage finds himself tossed into battle while labeled a deserter. Cage is about to have the worse day of his life when he is killed and finds himself reliving the day over and over again. When he discovers the “Angel of Verdun” Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) experienced the same event that Cage did, Vrataski and Cage realize they are the only hope at ending the war.
Directed by Doug Liman, Edge of Tomorrow is a science-fiction action film also sometimes known by its tagline Live. Die. Repeat. The movie is based on the Japanese 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and was relatively well received.
So the alien “blue” him…got it.
I kept meaning to see Edge of Tomorrow. I even bought the movie with the intent of going home and watching it. About three years later, it finally happened, and as I suspected, I enjoyed it.
Repetition stories are really tricky. Groundhog’s Day really explored this idea, but the trick is first setting up the day and then repeating it without feeling boring. Most people understand the concept of the accumulated learning, and Edge of Tomorrow doesn’t spend a ton of time on that part of the story (it also smartly gets out of the “why don’t you just tell someone” trap). As a result, it is a fun ride.
I want to dislike Tom Cruise because of a lot of his off-screen persona, but the guy makes good action films (and it is amazing considering his age). He still is completely believable as an action star and gets the humor of this performance along with the action. Emily Blunt is also a rising star with a lot of range. She’s kind of a chameleon in roles, and I wish she’d get a role to really distinguish her from her peers at some point. The film also features supporting roles from Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson.
So all we have to do is kill the Brain Alien like in that movie Starship Troopers and do it like in that movie Groundhog’s Day
The movie is slick looking. I wish that they had created more memorable aliens instead of aliens that look like rather generic tentacle blobs with faces. It is hard to make an original alien nowadays, or an original concept (the “brain” aspect kind of reminds me of Starship Troopers), but I think Edge of Tomorrow could have done a bit better.
Edge of Tomorrow is a solid sci-fi action-adventure film that is both fun and funny at points. Regardless of your feelings on Tom Cruise, the movie shows he can do pictures with different tones and styles. Edge of Tomorrow is scheduled to have a follow-up sequel Live Die Repeat and Repeat.
