'Edge Of Tomorrow' A Review

Edge Of Tomorrow is an alternate-future alien-invasion movie with a time travel conceit. In a not-to-distant future ferocious squid-like aliens, dubbed Mimics, have come to Earth to take over. They have taken over continental Europe and the combined forces of humanity are planning one last big operation to stop them. Tom Cruise is Major William Cage, a craven military PR man. After attempting to black mail General Bringham(Brendan Gleeson) Cage is shipped off to be on the front lines of the following days surge. During the course of the ensuing battle Cage kills a large Mimic, is splattered with its blood, dies, then awakens in the previous day. A loop has been set and every time Cage dies he resets, doomed to repeat the bloody battle over and over again.

Cruise puts in his best leading performance since 2004's Collateral. As the days repeat we not only see his skill as a solider improving but we see a moral and philosophical change in him. There is action, humor, and speculative science a plenty but Cruise holds the emotional core as an ordinary, cowardly, man in an extraordinary situation who goes through a subtly progressive transformation. In the vein of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley Emily Blunt is bad-ass Valkyrie Sgt. Rita Vrataski the human army's hero. Aloof and determined she trains Cruise and a rough friendship develops. Blunt plays the Sgt. with a sleek toughness, never cowed, never weak, but always interesting. She also brings a freshness vital for the repetition required by the premise. We see her repeat scenes and actions but always with different flavors and with an undefinable certainty. Although given little to do the supporting cast gives the world much needed depth. The shinning star is Bill Paxton as Cruise's CO Master Sgt. Farell. Paxton plays the Kentucky Commander with a joyful religious fatalism that is delicious and he is given the best dialogue in the film, a much repeated monologue welcoming Cruise to his squad.

The time travel set-up is played well. It keeps a quick and functional pace going which propels the film and maintains interest. Its also used with surprising effectiveness for laughs with multiple garish deaths by Cruise. In our over-saturated world the aliens are a treat because they are original. Frenetic and squid like they are terrifying, we see them just the right amount, enough to be satisfied but not enough to be overwhelmed or desensitized. The film, rightly, spends more time on Cruise and the different facets of his much repeated day.

The ending is the only detraction and not a great one. The film has the potential to end with a punch in the gut but is more like a pat on the head. There is also the ill-conceived romance between Blunt and Cruise shoehorned in the last couple minutes. But even that is so fleeting its negligible.

An exciting, alien filled, time travel, block buster with a surprising amount of heart.

Don't Miss It.