Edge of Tomorrow Reviews

"Quando ti svegli vieni a cercarmi!"
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This hot garbage gets a 90% on RT and a 7.9 on IMDB? How much crack are you people smoking?!? I was really hoping this movie would be more than the sci-fi version of Groundhog Day, but that's essentially all it was.

Sure, the human battle-mech suits and the alien combatants were cool to look at it, but beyond that this film offers nothing new or interesting. Forget how incredibly contrived the time-loop logic is, how many more sci-fi movies are we going to watch about a "superior" alien force that is controlled by some kind of hive mind and all you need to do to win is to take out the brain? Hasn't this gotten stale? Didn't they make fun of this concept in Starship Troopers 17 years ago? (WE CAUGHT THE BRAIN BUG!)

Despite its flaws the movie was at least engaging, so I could have potentially given it a 5 or even a 6. But then that goddamn goofy ending... As everyone is cheering, Tom Cruise has to swagger his way back to his new girlfriend (who doesn't even know she's his girlfriend) and put on his stupid smile before they take this turkey out back and shoot it. ANY OTHER ENDING would have been better than that ending! Hey, before we roll the credits, here's a reminder of the standard leading guy / leading girl romance-on-the-quick we wedged into this focus-grouped Hollywood crapfest!

This could have been a good movie. MAYBE it could have even been a good sci-fi movie. But it tried to be too many different things and it relied too much on an old plot device that was used more effectively in a 1993 comedy.

So it's an action packed futuristic story along the lines of Groundhog Day. That sounds fairly interesting enough. It only takes 20 minutes to get to the action and when it does it is relentless. This is one great big adrenaline rush. I enjoyed the little spins and twists as to the why and how of the "Groundhog Syndrome". There is a bit of humor to it that makes you chuckle and such. I think the aliens designs were kind of interesting to look at, but they kind of looked like sentinels from The Matrix. I think the ending was good, but could have been a little better. Anyways I loved it and thought it was a very fun and exhilarating story. It is definitely a must see in my opinion.

Once again, it seemed to be another flop for Tom Cruise and, apparently, the poor guy will never learn. At least, this time, it was actually pretty good, much better than the rather underwhelming ‘Oblivion’ and, to be fair, it would have been a hit if it would have been released 15 or 20 years ago. Basically, there is not one single star who can guarantee a box-office hit, not even Johnny Depp, Will Smith or Adam Sandler who were the last stars who could manage this. Anyway, in spite all this, it was definitely a pretty good flick. There is one thing that bothered me though. Why on Earth was Tom Cruise sent to the front?!? I mean, I have to admit that it was pretty neat that we didn’t know why because we were then able to share the confusion of the character but it was never explained. It was a pretty cool concept though, some mix of ‘Groundhog Day’ with ‘Source Code’. Furthermore, Tom Cruise delivered a decent performance, even though it would have been interesting if the guy became more depressed by his predicament. I was above all impressed by Emily Blunt who was completely convincing as a lethal soldier and we got a glimpse of what she would have done if she played Black Widow as scheduled. Anyway, to conclude, to be honest, I don't think it was really amazing but it was still a really well made and entertaining SF feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Edge of Tomorrow is the kind of film you watch, then shrug when it's over. There's little worth raving about, and little worth getting furious about. It's moderately pleasing Summer blockbuster barf. It will make a ripple in the box-office, perhaps serve as a nice rental in the future, but it's not the kind of film that remains in memory for too long.

A la Groundhog Day, Major William Cage continues to live the same day over and over again. It is the day of a terrible battle, in which him and his fellow soldiers are ambushed each time by an alien species called, the Mimics. Every single time, the battle fails, but Cage might just have the key to victory.

So, there's stuff that works and stuff that doesn't. The action sequences are totally forgettable, others loud to the point of head ache induction. The comedy is fairly solid, with a few decent laughs throughout. The performances are fine, but not outstanding, though the script doesn't really lend itself to impressive performances.

The characters are generally quite bland. Character personalities are suggested, but never fully developed. They just sort of fade out as soon as they leave the screen. Tom Cruise is fine in the role of William Cage, Emily Blunt is fine in the role of Sergeant Rita Vrataski (a name more complex than the character itself). The only notable performances come courtesy of Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson who make for amusing comedic supporting characters.

The story is cleverly constructed. Despite the fact that Cage's character is reliving the same day over and over, the film is hardly ever tedious. The secret is that it only devotes a few seconds to reveal that Cage is living the day over again, instead of going through the entire day all over again. This is where similar films (like Source Code) have failed. It is most notable thing about this film.

Christophe Beck's score is generally forgettable. The electronic effects are a bit annoying, and there is little memorable material here. Supposedly, director Doug Liman (in regards to the music) "preferred a non-traditional approach, driven by percussion and distorted orchestra." I don't know about you, but that description is almost enough to make me run for the hills.

Basically, Edge of Tomorrow is fine. It takes a bit of time to find it's leggings, and the last 20 minutes seem to drag, but it's entertaining enough to make for a pleasing time at the cinemas if all other options have been exhausted. It's just under two hours long, making it slim by traditional Summer movie standards, but it still lags at times. In short, Edge of Tomorrow is sporadically fun, and there are some good bits here and there. But I'd be hard-pressed to recall much of this film if quizzed about it in a month or so.