Tom Cruise returns for another sci-fi thriller but this time the combination of a solid plot, good co-stars and just the right amount of action turns ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ into a supremely watchable movie…
By Patrick Guera — Staff Writer
I’m going to confess something: I’m a big Tom Cruise fan.
Taboo to say in this day and age, I know. I also want to confess that I have no prior knowledge of the manga that Edge of Tomorrow is based of off, ‘All You Need is Kill’. Therefore I approach this simply as a moviegoer. I was worried I would be clouded for my love of Cruise’s perfectly coifed hair and intense, squinty dialogue. But the truth is Tom Cruise was not a factor in my thorough enjoyment of Edge of Tomorrow because he didn’t need to be. Edge of Tomorrow is everything a good Sci-Fi Actioner needs to be.
Big action? Check. Bad-ass tech? Check. Other worldly, aliens? Check. Fun? Double check. Edge of Tomorrow, on top of its dazzling visual effects and clever plot, is just plain old- fashion fun. Live. Die. Repeat? Don’t mind if I do.
Edge of Tomorrow follows Major Cage (Tom Cruise), a civilian turned officer who finds himself at the front lines of an alien invasion that has overtaken Europe. Ill- equipped for battle, Cage dies within minutes of landing on French shores only to wake up on the eve of battle, reliving the exact same scenario over again. Puzzled, he attempts to convince everyone of his déjà vu only to be laughed at and thrown right back into the fracas. As the day replays over and over he finds Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a fabled super soldier who is the face of human resistance against the aliens. She sees something in Cage and cryptically implores cage to find her when he “wakes up”. Seconds later, he is dead and back where he started.
Now, with Rita as a mentor, Cage learns he has been infected with “alpha” alien blood, which allows an alpha to reset the day every time it dies. Rita knows because it happened to her once, only to be lost when she received a blood transfusion. In order for the war to be won, Cage must die and die again to learn every nuance of the battle, and find and destroy the heart of the alien horde; the only chance at saving the planet.
What stood out to me straight away was the mood of this film. Think Aliens, mashed together with video games like Gears of War and add a healthy sprinkle of humor. Great side characters like Master Sergeant Farell (played with a southern drawl by Bill Paxton) add touches of light heartedness you would not expect from the trailers you’ve seen. There isn’t just comic relief; there are downright funny scenes that make you laugh. And the laughs are incredibly well balanced; imagine if Paul Verhoeven (director of the original RoboCop and Total Recall) was able to dial himself back to stave off the camp. This humor also helps us connect with otherwise hardened soldiers who live for the thrill of battle. It also feels like a very necessary tool to keep the audience engaged as we relive Cage’s day.
On the topic of the Groundhog Day scenario, director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) efficiently gets the audience up to speed so that the constant reset doesn’t get taxing. We learn something, we move on, only repeating necessary steps that are essential to the story. By the end of the first act, the plot moves along in a linear fashion that is easy to follow for such a complicated time travel trope. Too often time travel plots advance too quickly, making our characters superheroes and less relatable. Edge of Tomorrow’s script crafts time-jumping in a way that keeps our characters human. They fail a lot, but they get back up and keep trying, no matter how many times they have to. It’s pretty inspiring when you look at it that way.
On top of these very important factors, we get all the great trappings of a sci-fi film. The alien invaders were very original and well crafted. The side characters held their own and added color. The mech suits (MECH SUITS!!!) were realistic. The tech was cool and never over-engineered as can be very tempting with a massive Hollywood budget. Everything felt real and that is very important when buying into a sci-fi flick. Top all of that with a relatable hero (no really, Tom Cruise becomes relatable) and a badass alien-killing chick and we’re having good, old-fashioned, big screen fun. Mission accomplished.
My only gripe would be the end wrapping up a little too conveniently, which can be forgiven considering the journey that brought us to that point had all of its bases covered.
I didn’t have the chance to see it in 3D and I couldn’t see a need for it based on the action involved. Plus it was converted to 3D, which is always something I try to stay away from. But I do implore you to see it on the big screen. Far too often flashy effects bog us down and less-than-capable leads wander aimlessly through bloated battle scenes.
This movie has character, it has heart, and most importantly, it doesn’t take itself so seriously that it can’t take a break from the action to have some fun. That is something we’re losing in big action. Marvel is doing a decent job carrying that torch, its nice see a movie outside of that universe take note.
