Grade (A-)
A science-fiction saga with a “Groundhog Day” theme that thrills and entertains with stunning visuals and great acting despite a rather muddled plot.
In “EDGE OF TOMORROW” a military officer named Cage (Tom Cruise) finds himself in the middle of an all-out war between the humans and an alien race with the ability to see the future and the power to reset the day.
When Cage finds he was be given the same power he will partner up with another highly-skilled officer named Rita (Emily Blunt). She is well versed in the current scope of the war and by adding her knowledge with Cage’s gifted abilities they will find themselves being the last hope of ending the war for good.
After back-to-back summer science-fiction entries Tom Cruise is beginning to show he has a knack for the genre. Last summers “Oblivion” was a pleasant surprise and commanding the large budget of a project the size of this newest film, I had high hopes for “Edge of Tomorrow”. After seeing it I can say I was once again delighted with the result of this most recent Tom Cruise sci-fi adventure.
Without question, and as you would expect the strongest aspect of this film was the special-effects. The level of detail was exceptional, from the settings and backdrops, the mechanical armor the humans wear to the alien race they are battling, it seemed nothing was left behind in regard to creatively and level of quality. The action-sequences were great and delivered high intensity, literally pulling you up in your seat.
The battle-sequences were fast paced, visceral and visually splendid to sit on the edge of your seat and take in. The mechanical suits were well designed and added a fun element to the theme as well as enabling the humans to keep up with the lightening speed of the aliens. The concept and design of the aliens were great and while their look may not have been extremely original, their speed and movements felt like a fresh addition to a recycled antagonist.
The writing was also very good and it was clear the story-line of this one was going to take center stage over any real character development. The lead characters of Cage and Rita had really no backdrop and no real depth to inspire concern for their outcome but with the performances of Cruise and Blunt, they were enough to carry you though the long run-time and the wild adventure the script takes you on.
The writing was well done and through dialogue they are able to convey the intended drama, intrigue and subtle comedic moments that make this film a complete adventure. The “Groundhog Day” theme was well worked into this film and built up all the frustration and effort the main character was going though while adding some refreshing chuckles along the way as well.
On the downside, while I liked the premise of this film and for the most part I think I understood it. It just felt that at times in the film there were vital parts of the plots explanation being rushed in bursts of dialogue. I felt that despite my full attention, the film lost me a couple times when it wouldn’t have taken too much to lay out the plot details with more organization and flow to keep the viewer caught up but in the end it wasn’t.
I did thoroughly enjoy this one and regardless of it being confusing at times this film is without a doubt worth a watch. Maybe even a second time to try and pick up on some of the missed pieces and to once again enjoy the ambition the film took in its creativity, the excellent performances and the grand scope of the climactic battle-sequences.