Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Review

 

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow follows Lt. Col. Cage, who is sent on a suicide mission to the front lines of an alien war, only to get trapped in a time loop where he must seek out Sgt. Vrataski and find the source of the alien hive to stop the war. 

Lately in his career, Tom Cruise has been excellent at picking sub-par action movies that really make him look cool, which was why I never saw this (in fear that that would be what I was getting). So, I’ll admit—I was wrong. It’s a cleverly thought out and inventive sci-fi epic that acts as sort of a District 9 meets Groundhog Day. It perfectly utilizes the time loop trope and for once (because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie say why it’s happening) it actually explains what is causing it, as under the right circumstances, it can happen to anyone. I was particularly intrigued by it’s way of showing he went through a certain area multiple times by subtly showing us through his mindset and actions instead of montages, though we do occasionally get those but only to show his progression of thought as he moves through the day(s?). 

A common fear with time loop movies is the fear of repetition. Luckily, Edge of Tomorrow moves at such a fast and fun pace that it never seems dull and makes each scenario feel lived in and vibrant. The snappy editing mixed with the witty and often hilarious dialogue (which was thoroughly surprising) really takes away the overly grim look the movie portrays, which is nice because it knows when to be light and when to be dark. 

The movies boasts a solid cast in Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Emily Blunt, and Tom Cruise. Blunt, rightfully, is a total badass and you fully buy her as the leader of this mechanized army. Cruise is also surprisingly good, not being his usual one-dimensional self and actually containing a lot more humor and heart as a Col. who is severely out of his element. 

Edge of Tomorrow, directed by Doug Liman and based on the Hiroshi Sakurazaka manga All You Need Is Kill, is a fast, witty, and action packed alien invasion thriller that repurposes the time loop trope in an exhilaratingly intelligent way with great visuals to boost, in what is probably Tom Cruises best, most outside of the box role since Tropic Thunder. 

8.7/10