Do you like science fiction movies? To be more precise, do you like science fiction action movies? If you do, have I got a movie for you! And if you don’t, I’m certain you at least won’t be bored with this masterpiece. Edge of Tomorrow is a captivating and entertaining science fiction movie that manages to blend every possible futuristic concept into one hell of a package. This is not just a movie that feels and looks like a video game or a simulation but it also features aliens, time travel, spaceships, battle exoskeletons, and much much more. On top of all of this, Edge of Tomorrow is also intelligent offering a satisfying alien invasion story.
It’s loosely based on the 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Notice that I said novel and not graphic novel there, as this movie offers a refreshing take on science fiction action without superheroes. This is why the story is so good because it has a whole novel behind it. We knew this day would come and yet we were not prepared. Yes, the aliens are here and they are not friendly. The human civilization is on the brink of destruction and this fact is very much in the mind of a lowly public affairs officer William Cage. However, he will soon find himself in the middle of the battle, deciding the faith of humanity once and for all.
Or at least that’s what he thinks. After all these years, all I can say is that I love fucking Tom Cruise. He’s such a good and versatile actor that every movie he’s in is bound to be good. I still remember watching him hit that glass in Mission Impossible saying you’ve never seen me very upset. I guess that’s what you get when you sell your soul to our lord Xenu. This time, Tommy Boy is joined by Emily Blunt who was a surprisingly good fit for her action-oriented role. I also shouldn’t forget about a couple of veterans like Brendan Gleeson and Bill Paxton. Bill has already tasted combat with aliens in another science fiction cult classic, Aliens. Game over, man, game over!
While we’re talking about other, similar movies, I must mention two nineties science fiction action classics. Independence Day, one of the first modern alien invasion movies, and Starship Troopers, a movie that needs no introduction. Edge of Tomorrow borrows a couple of elements from these movies simultaneously offering never-before-seen action. Our human army will be fighting the ugly aliens and their death machines in special exoskeleton mechsuits. These fight scenes are really exciting and quite brutal, something I didn’t expect from a movie with a big budget like this ($178 million).
Still, you should know that this is a PG-13 movie without the heavy stuff. It always surprises me just how vicious the violence can be in these movies. I guess someone in the rating commission woke up with a heavy envelope beside their bed. To get back to those fights with aliens, think of them as WWII battles updated to futuristic standards. Our protagonist, Cage, is a rational human being, afraid of being thrown into the meat grinder. He’s the definition of an unwilling and reluctant hero. This is also a unique opportunity to watch Tom Cruise be bad at something. He’s usually this extremely good operator who knows how to do everything.
It goes without saying that he did all of his stunts here, just like in most of his movies. Edge of Tomorrow plays out like a video game. An engaging, highly entertaining, and visually dazzling video game everybody is talking about. And it even has a good sense of humor. Finally, I have to add that the aliens look original and quite scary. They’re not the classic green or gray creatures but more of wiry abominations almost without any weak spots.
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Masayoshi Haneda, Dragomir Mrsic
Fun Facts: Edge of Tomorrow didn’t do so well in theaters so Warner Bros. basically changed its title to Live Die Repeat for the physical media release. This turned out to be the right move as the movie did much better now probably also because of the word of mouth.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631867/
