Directed by: Doug Liman
Casts: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Release Date: 29 May 2014
Alien forces dubbed "Mimics" launched a worldwide invasion on Earth, rendering humans defenceless and on the brink of destruction. Major William Cage is the face of the US military but has not seen a day of combat in his career. He unwillingly finds himself in the midst of a suicide mission - only to die minutes later before reliving the day over and over again in what seems to be a never-ending time loop.
Praises: Slimy mechanical aliens. Grungy-looking battle suits. Lots of explosions and deaths. Time travel. Tom Cruise and his beautiful puzzled-eyes. Sounds like a pretty cheesy, messy, been-there-done-that kind of film right? I admit to not having much high expectations for Edge of Tomorrow but when the credits start rolling, I stood up and gave the film a double thumbs up.
The overall plot felt clever, fast and evenly paced, innovative and intense, keeping me engaged throughout without losing momentum. Tom Cruise plays a military officer who is anything but a soldier. He is a PR figure, good with his speech, excellent with his persuasion. To put him on the battlefield guarantees a certain death, and true enough he didn't even last 5 minutes before meeting his Maker - or so we thought. I think it's fair to say we have more than enough of Tom Cruise being a skilled fighter/special agent; to see him confused, scared and helpless is rather interesting and refreshing.
Things get a lot worse for Major William - he dies, then revives the next second to relive the day again. And again. And again. To live through the same fear and pain repeatedly while seemingly unable to alter the ending can put a huge dent on anyone's psyche. Then comes the bitter-sweet mix - meeting Rita Vrataski (Blunt), one of the best Mimic-slayers in play. Having to die on your own repeatedly is one thing, having to see someone you care die along with you is another. In quite an unlikely romantic setting, the two leads have excellent chemistry mix that pretty much left a heart-wrenching feeling tugging at the bottom of my stomach.
Collectively the visuals are an orgasmic treat; be it the ships, suits, or alien tentacles they work cohesively with the narrative to never give a single dull moment. The concept of time-loop was used without creating much self-conflicting paradoxes, effectively feeling brilliant while avoiding serious complications. A sci-fi cinematic experience that doesn't tire, Edge of Tomorrow puts Tom Cruise right back in the game.
Complains: How often do we see great buildups in movies only to be hampered by a lukewarm climax? More than my fingers can count, really. Edge of Tomorrow may be ambitious right from the start but seemingly resort to cheap, safe fallback towards the end, giving a somewhat confusing and not to mention predictable conclusion to a story that could offer plentiful. Was it to cater to mainstream appetite I do not know, but the film certainly lose some points with me there.
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Rating: 8.7/10
Hit or Miss: Edge of Tomorrow is one of the better films this summer, a sleeper hit as I like to call it.
Things get a lot worse for Major William - he dies, then revives the next second to relive the day again. And again. And again. To live through the same fear and pain repeatedly while seemingly unable to alter the ending can put a huge dent on anyone's psyche. Then comes the bitter-sweet mix - meeting Rita Vrataski (Blunt), one of the best Mimic-slayers in play. Having to die on your own repeatedly is one thing, having to see someone you care die along with you is another. In quite an unlikely romantic setting, the two leads have excellent chemistry mix that pretty much left a heart-wrenching feeling tugging at the bottom of my stomach.
Collectively the visuals are an orgasmic treat; be it the ships, suits, or alien tentacles they work cohesively with the narrative to never give a single dull moment. The concept of time-loop was used without creating much self-conflicting paradoxes, effectively feeling brilliant while avoiding serious complications. A sci-fi cinematic experience that doesn't tire, Edge of Tomorrow puts Tom Cruise right back in the game.
Complains: How often do we see great buildups in movies only to be hampered by a lukewarm climax? More than my fingers can count, really. Edge of Tomorrow may be ambitious right from the start but seemingly resort to cheap, safe fallback towards the end, giving a somewhat confusing and not to mention predictable conclusion to a story that could offer plentiful. Was it to cater to mainstream appetite I do not know, but the film certainly lose some points with me there.
Rating: 8.7/10
Hit or Miss: Edge of Tomorrow is one of the better films this summer, a sleeper hit as I like to call it.
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