Greetings movie fans! Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. I know for me, a great weekend usually entails at least one new film viewing, and so far, this weekend is no exception as I continue to try and get caught up after the break in late May. That said, the Science Fiction genre, while very popular overall (ie: “Star Wars”, “Star Trek”, “The Matrix”), I personally have always enjoyed when someone comes around and tries something totally new (Hello, “Avatar“), or at least refreshes an idea that may have been done before. Lately, a certain actor (the name of whom is forthcoming) is now looking at two movie seasons in a row where he’s chosen to tackle said genre, and therefore I give this year’s entry, “Edge of Tomorrow”.
This film, directed by Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity“, The Bourne Supremacy“, and “The Bourne Ultimatum“), takes the oft-done (MAYBE over-done??) concept of alien invasion and mixes it with its own version of “Groundhog Day” in telling the tale of Major William Cage (Summer film staple Tom Cruise), who despite his military rank, is actually no more than a media genius who has been on a PR campaign for the Army as Earth has once again fallen victim to an invasion by some nasty aliens, called Mimics, who also seem to have an undue advantage of seemingly anticipating every move we try and make against them offensively. But, after a particular victory is hailed in Europe for us Earthlings, the soldier responsible for it, Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), is then hailed as a hero and becomes a rallying cry to the troops to take advantage of the momentum gained so as to put the enemy on their heels. Hence, when Cage is brought to London to meet with the Commander of an upcoming all-out offensive, General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), he gets the unexpected news they want to place him and his PR crew IN battle, which Cage wants nothing to do with. And then things get wild, as Cage’s refusal and subsequent attempt to avoid said duty suddenly finds him facing a new reality….coming to on the tarmac at Heathrow, now a private in the Army on the day of the actual offensive, and not quite recalling how he got there. His new Commander, Master Sgt. Farrell (Bill Paxton), is more than willing to show him the orders placing him there, make him feel the weight of what is to come despite Cage’s protests, and introducing him to his new company. And so, with no experience in the field or anyone truly willing to show him, Cage is thrust into the heart of conflict, which as you would gather, goes VERY awry for him, but something occurs as he faces a Mimic on the field….managing to destroy it results in Cage getting stuck in a time loop….experiencing the day over and over again, always starting back on the tarmac at Heathrow with the same interactions with the same people with the same results each time he dies…..initially. As more experiences pass for him, Cage starts adapting to events and trying to figure out new ways around them, including his first few run-ins with Vrataski, who it turns out has a bit of knowledge about what is happening to him and exactly why. So, as the two continue to meet for the first time, Cage works with Vrataski to not just become a soldier, but to ultimately assist her in achieving the TRUE victory humanity will need to survive….by seeking out the source of the Mimic’s power. In using each and every day they get, the goal comes more and more into sight, and hope finally has its glimmer. By the end of everything, it becomes clear what needs to be done, and it will take Cage, Vrataski, and a brave few to make it work to see the Mimic blight erased from our planet. As usual, there are PLENTY of other details happening as this plan is brought to life…but that would constitute spoilers….and we all know how I feel about those!
First off, one of the things that got me interested in this film was seeing that Liman was directing, as he SO awesomely brought Jason Bourne to life in those CLASSIC first three films with Matt Damon. So I knew he was someone who could deliver the action along with a sense of character building as well. And for me, that IS what he did effectively in this film. The film is well-paced, especially once the loop is happening, but more so I felt the number of days Cage was experiencing was not SO detailed each time as to make the whole thing seem bogged down IN the repetition necessary to tell the story. The film simply moves along in its premise and covers what is needed to KEEP it moving without any sense of monotony. Secondly, I am actually a big Tom Cruise fan, especially over the last decade and a half or so, as many of his films and his range have been on display solidly. Having loved his last sci-fi effort, “Oblivion“, in 2013, I saw no reason why he couldn’t bring that same presence of character to this one, and for me, he did that. Now, was it the BEST performance I’ve seen him do…of course not…but that doesn’t cause me to NOT enjoy this role as much as I enjoyed him in “Oblivion”. And as is often the case in Cruises films, action or otherwise, there are moments of humor in the midst of the chaos that do assist in lightening the mood a bit. Blunt’s Vrataski brought a combination of both tough and tender to the story, and I personally thought it was good to have a little diversity in her shown so she didn’t just become a character that was a means to the story’s ends. And the dynamic of her relationship with Cage was a very interesting thing to explore, given the circumstance that keeps re-setting Cage’s experience in meeting her. Paxton and Gleeson are solid as well, usually being great as authority figures. Visually, the film is huge on special effects, most noticeably for the alien Mimics, whom I did find as a refreshing change, in that they are not your typical nasties from space in appearance or movement, but no less brutal and effective in motive and attack. I saw the film in 3D, and it did add some cool depth to certain moments, but again, as with so many films in this format, you could enjoy it just as much in 2D as well. It is one of those films that you want for the Summer….just a lot of fun and quick pacing that you don’t take too seriously, but yet might actually surprise you and be at least a LITTLE deeper than expected. I loved it and was very much entertained.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
