Review: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Snap Judgment: A smart, engaging sci fi movie that is well worth your time. Even if you're wary of Tom Cruise (especially after the snore-fest of Oblivion), you should see it. Tom Cruise plays a slick, slimy, selfish ex-ad exec who is forcibly sent to the front lines in a D-Day invasion against an alien force that has taken over continental Europe. He quickly dies. Then he wakes up the day before the battle, and repeats the invasion and his death Groundhogs Day style. He eventually teams up with Emily Blunt, a supersoldier known as the Angel of Verdun (or more derogatively, the Full Metal Bitch). Based on the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill, this film is right up there with Pacific Rim for a great sci fi action film. The premise of death and rebirths is cleverly done, and the writers made sure it never got too repetitive. Sometimes, it is clear that Cruise has relived this timeline of events over and over, and we only see him once he’s gotten it down. Sometimes, it looks like he is on a fresh path until he takes an action that shows he’s been down this road before. It is also funny in parts, and a sense of humor is so refreshing after Christopher Nolan has made the dark and dreary action movie fashionable. And for a movie in which the main character can revive video game style, it is surprisingly tense. The climax of the movie – the final final battle, where everything is on the line and there are no more chances – had my heart in a death grip, and the only thing that kept it from exploding was the knowledge that Hollywood blockbusters just won’t end with the aliens winning (I hoped). 

It was fun watching Tom Cruise morph through his entire acting range – from smarmily charming to stone cold badass. The no-bullshit, war-loving Master Sergeant Farrell ("Battle is the great redeemer. It is the fiery crucible in which the only true heroes are forged.") was a nice example of a minor character infused with so much personality that he became vibrant. But special shoutout in this movie goes to Emily Blunt (both the actress and her character). I cannot tell you how incredibly refreshing it is to see a female lead who is not only never treated as eye candy, but also plays the role of mentor and comrade-in-arms. Emily Blunt is Tom Cruise’s equal in every way – and she’s a better fighter than him until he’s fought and died often enough. She’s tough, calm, and efficient and has seen so much death that it doesn’t scare her – she’s only worried about the mission failing. She doesn’t cry, she doesn’t scream – she’s exhausted beyond all feeling, but she handles herself and does what needs to be done. You could exchange her for a male actor, and 99% of her character and the movie would be the same (and, really, this kind of character is bread-and-butter for Liam Neeson, Bruce Willis, Jeremy Renner, and Matt Damon). So impressive, and Emily Blunt plays it perfectly.

Grade: A+

Final Judgment: Smart, darkly funny, thrilling, and with stellar performances - everything you could want in your action film.

If you like this, watch: Pacific Rim, Looper, The Matrix, Inception