Review 330: Edge of Tomorrow

I was initially hesitant about watching Edge of Tomorrow but I eventually got round to watching it and I was quite surprised by it. Now what I'm about to type is gonna sound crazy but the more I go into detail the more sense it'll make.

Based upon the Japanese light novel, All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. In the near future, a race of aliens called mimics have invaded Earth and wiped out many of the Worlds military units. Major William "Bill" Cage (Tom Cruise) is a PR officer who is inexperienced in combat is order by General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) to cover combat on the Beaches of France during the next days assault on the Mimics. When Cage objects to this task an threatens to use his PR skills to turn the public against Brigham, he's branded a deserter and put on combat duty for the invasion under the command of Sargent Farrel (Bill Paxton). Though Cage is killed within minutes of the invasion, he finds himself starting over again in a time loop, repeating the same mission and being killed over and over again. Each time, Cage learns how to fight the aliens better whilst at the same time teaming up with Sargent Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to defeat them.

The plot is smart, surprisingly clever and all-round exciting. Normally a movie like this would amount to be nothing more than a dim-witted shoot-'em up. But for some reason here it really works here.
I think this is mostly because the concept is taken so seriously by everyone involved, the actors, the director and the screenwriters. When something happens to Bill Cage or any of the characters you see how it effects them, there were times throughout the film when the camera zooms in on Bill and Rita during one of the many Mimic invasion scenes and you see that they have pummeled within an inch of their lives and it really makes you think "gee they look in bad shape" and it really humanizes the characters.

Also this movie is really funny, the time loop premise is used to great effect for comedy. A running gag throughout the film is the fact Bill Cage constantly gets killed due his time-loop. It's handled in such a comic way that it becomes a light motif.

Possibly the most ingenious aspect of this movie is that it gives you the feeling your playing a video game, not in sort of mindlessly, shoot-'em up, kill them all type of fashion. It gives the feeling that you are actually playing an actual game, every new time loop brings new locations, new parts of the already established locations like the training facilities at Heathrow Airport or the countryside around Normandy beach or the Lourve and new and interesting characters that help Cage on his journey such as Dr Carter (Noah Taylor). Also each time Cage gets to a new part of the setting and sets his eyes on a new goal it's like reaching a new level in video game, every time you see him reach one checkpoint, you see him trying to reach another.

At the central core of this film is determination and the perseverance of the human spirit, knowing your going to be defeated but being able to get back up again: Even though Cage gets killed and has to repeat the same day over and over he's determined to help the human race win the war against the Mimics.

Director Doug Liman's direction is sharp, the cinematography is excellent, the special effects are exciting and gritty, the score by Christophe Beck is heart-pounding and gets you moving, the costumes (particularly the Battle Suit) is fantastic, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed, the action scenes are expertly staged, well choreographed and intensely shot, the production design is terrific (it gives off a very atmospheric, believable feel of what a militarised future would be. It's also post-apocalyptic but people are surviving). The scenery is superb and the ending makes me smile.

The acting is mostly strong from all the cast members, it's just terrific to see Tom Cruise play such a useless character as opposed to generic blockbuster characters he plays in the role of Bill Cage.
He's basically a marketing guy, a PR guy. He's not a warrior, he just wants to survive.
Cage starts out as a self-satisfied coward who thinks that he can talk his way out of anything and often makes things worse as a result.
When he's dumped with the military he realises there's no way he's gonna get out of this. When he meets Rita for the first time he's initial reaction is "You know whats happening to me, how do I get rid of it?" and Cruise embodies that character in an really engaging and believable manner. He basically reminds you what how versatile and engaging an actor he can be.

Emily Blunt is terrific as Sargent Rita Vrataski, she's this incredibly tough, battle harden warrior who has become this symbol of hope for the military. When she first meets Cage, she's kind of in despair that this guy who has never scene a day of war in his life, is mankind's only hope, but she recognises he is the only hope for humanity winning the war and she trains and guides him to become a better solider. This works for two reasons:
1. For Cage, it's good character development.
2. For Rita, it showcases her as a feminist role model.
She really isn't the doe-eyed damsel in distress type.

Bill Paxton is also very strong playing Sargent Farrell, he's very by the book, by the rules, believes in discipline and does not like being unsure of a situation. But really he's just misinformed, he been told that Cage is a deserter and will do anything to get out of combat and doesn't realise he actually is a major and he's just doing his job.

Brendan Gleeson is also very powerful as General Brigham, he's absolutely patriotic, will do everything he can to defeat the mimics, even going so far as to framing Bill Cage as a deserter to get him to go into combat and Gleeson portrays that single minded determination really well.

Also good in the film are Kick Gurry, Charlotte Riely, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh and Tony Way as the members of J Squad, the squad Cage is assigned to. They're kinda the low life of the military, a bunch of misfits and people who the military don't care about as a whole. But over time they become valuable to Cage and his mission and eventually he gains their trust.

Edge of Tomorrow is a smartly crafted, clever and gripping sci fi action film and a film that as a whole made me like Tom Cruise again, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.