Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

What a shame it is that Edge of Tomorrow was such a box office bomb... well at least in the United States it was a bomb. Doesn't it seem odd that a big, action-packed, star driven PG-13 movie didn't absolutely sweep audiences away? I think it is sort of odd, although perhaps audiences are sick of Tom Cruise or feel like this was just too similar to another one of his recent films, Oblivion? Whatever the situation is, I think it's a major bummer that this didn't perform better because Edge of Tomorrow is everything a blockbuster should be. It's a smart, constantly thrilling, somewhat challenging and surprisingly funny science fiction film that had me on the edge of my seat (as always, pun intended). While Edge of Tomorrow may not be the most fully original action movie, it does everything a movie like this should only with more excitement and humor.

Edge of Tomorrow is set in the maybe not-so-distant future where a meteor containing a dangerous and deadly alien species has landed in central Europe. These creatures, called Mimics, quickly reign chaos and spread like a highly contagious disease through the land. Eventually Earth (sort of) compiles its resources into creating an army of soldiers who wear some sort of mech suit that makes them significantly more powerful and are able to fight back against the Mimics. Tom Cruise plays William Cage who was originally a poster child for recruiting soldiers but finds himself forced onto the front lines of the final attack that hopefully will end the Mimic war. In a terrifying and surprisingly visceral battle scene, Cage is killed by a giant, blue Mimic... and wakes up again the day before the battle and has to re-live the events. He keeps dying and waking up the day before until he eventfully gets the help of the Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) and Dr Carter (Noah Taylor) who apparently has gone through the same “Groundhog's Day” experience. I won't spoil anything else but the rest of the movie is constant action, great reveal-after-reveal and exploration of how and why this is happening to Cage, and what they might be able to do to win the war.

I could probably go on for a lot longer about the details of this film, but honestly you should see it for yourself. I haven't had such a purely fun time watching an action film in quite a while. As the more technical elements of the Mimic species and why Cage re-sets time every time he dies are explored I found myself more and more engaged with this movie. It helps that the action in this movie is simply incredible. Action is brutal and relentless but never so disturbing or graphic that it's hard to watch. Fighting is chaotic but never confusing and the very cool design of the Mimics never gets old. The only real complaint I have is that the final act of this movie becomes a somewhat more formulaic action affair, but at the same time there is such a sense of urgency and intensity that it doesn't underwhelm to the point of being disappointing. In fact, I think Edge of Tomorrow has some of the best action sequences in a movie in a long time.

Edge of Tomorrow is also a pretty great looking film. Like I previously mentioned, the alien design is very creative and gives the Mimics a very dangerous, almost impossibly strong feeling. The odds are not in humanity's favor in Edge of Tomorrow. The mech suits, different flying ships the humans use and various weapons all look very worn and lived in which gives a strong sense that this war has been going on a while. Edge of Tomorrow also greatly benefits from a typically great performance from Tom Cruise. He plays the coward-turned-hero character perfectly and has a lot of great humorous moments. I think Emily Blunt steals the show, however. She's a total bad-ass here and the way her character and Cruise's character plays off of one another is the heart and soul of this film. This blending of great looking effects (both practical and computer generated), solid performances and perfect pacing makes Edge of Tomorrow a winner.

Again, it's unfortunate that this movie performed so poorly at the box office. It has everything most people are looking for in an action movie. The science fiction elements are fantastic and fully realized up until the end, the action is fast and continual, the performances are great which gives the characters life and I was most certainly never bored. Perhaps Edge of Tomorrow's final act is a bit formulaic and the ultimate resolution of the movie may be confusing at first (although with a bit of research and consideration it's actually quite brilliant), but overall this is a really solid film. I'll definitely be adding this to my collection ASAP and I hope it finds its audience as time goes on.

9/10