Edge of Tomorrow
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, and Bill Paxton.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive material.
One of last weekend's wide releases brought Tom Cruise back to the big screen in his latest sci-fi adventure. It ended up being overshadowed by The Fault In Our Stars in terms of box office numbers, but it really did deserve to do better. I saw the film last weekend, but it's taken me some time to figure out how I truly feel about it. While this movie brings some fresh new content mixed with great action and humor, it fails to reach its true potential for greatness and settles for above average mediocrity with its cookie-cutter ending.
There has been an alien invasion. Not much of the story tells us where they came from or what they want, but the bottom line is that Europe has essentially fallen to these foreign hordes known as Mimics. It is up to a final assault led by humanity's hero, Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). Due to a fear of combat, Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) has been stripped of his rank and sent to the front lines. During the battle he is killed by one of the Mimics, yet he awakens alive 24 hours before his death. Cage quickly learns that he has been affected by the Mimic that killed him so that he can relive the past 24 hours every time he is killed. With this new power, Cage must work with Rita to try and discover how to defeat the seemingly unconquerable Mimics.
Essentially, this is a sci-fi action movie with elements of Groundhog's Day. With a premise that involves the main character living the same day over and over, it can easily become tedious and tiring. However, director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) keeps the pace going quickly with sharp editing and not feeling the need to explain every detail, but trusting the audience to put the pieces together themselves. There is welcomed humor throughout the film that makes it the ideal summer blockbuster. It was fun to see Tom Cruise as a cowardly lion sort of character, a role he typically doesn't play. Emily Blunt is quite dynamite and is continually proving that there is nothing she can't do. I say give her more action roles; she can easily play with the big boys.
Where the film derails is in the finale. I don't wish to spoil the movie with specifics, but there are a lot of conveniences that occur that just bothered me. The filmmakers wish for you to just accept them and remember that the rest of the movie was a lot of fun. Perhaps I have been jaded by seeing too many movies which have caused me to expect more, but I am a big advocate for strong endings. It's the last thing your audience will see before leaving the theater. I enjoyed the movie and would encourage anyone to see it, especially if they are looking for fun, summer blockbuster thrills, but I cannot overlook the ending and how it made me feel about the movie as a whole.
RATING: B
Note: If you have seen the film and wish to know my problems with the ending, this article sums them up perfectly.
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