I’m encouraging everyone I can to see “Edge of Tomorrow.” This is a selfish endeavor. I want to see more movies like it.
Clever, original, well-made science fiction like “Edge of Tomorrow” doesn’t come along often. Genre fans are usually stuck with the latest superhero escapade or another Transformers sequel because that’s what gets butts in the seats. But “Edge of Tomorrow ...” Please go see it.
Yes, it stars Tom Cruise. Several people have told me they won’t be seeing “Edge of Tomorrow” because they don’t like Cruise. Why? Because of his beliefs? Because he made a fool of himself over a woman on Oprah? The guy is a good actor. He might not always pick the best movies, but he picks a lot of good ones, and he throws himself, heart and soul, into every role.
In “Edge of Tomorrow,” he captivates as William Cage, a military media rep who’s sent to the front line to film footage of a major battle against an extraterrestrial force known as Mimics - large, tentacled creatures that move unpredictably and strike quickly. He’s thrust into the heat of battle instead and killed by a Mimic - only to wake up the previous day at the moment he arrived at the military base. This cycle continues, with Cage surviving longer each time, and eventually meeting a woman soldier who knows what’s happening to him because it happened to her. Together, they plot to end the war.
I know what some of you are thinking. “Edge of Tomorrow” sounds like “Groundhog Day,” only it stars Cruise instead of Bill Murray, and Cruise is armed with a mechanized suit instead of Murray’s wit. Or maybe you’re thinking the storyline sounds like a video game, with Cage advancing a little further after each death. You’re right on both counts, but “Edge of Tomorrow” is more.
It’s Cruise taking a risk by playing someone who, at least initially, is a coward. Wade tries to run, but is forced into battle, and then dies “an eternity” of deaths trying to end the war. It’s a well-written script brought to life. One might think the time loop would get tiresome, but it never does. Rather, the writing pushes the story in new directions each time Cage goes back. It’s director Doug Liman filming such a tight movie, there’s not a moment, a shot, or an edit wasted.
It’s writing that crackles with humor. When Cage asks his master sergeant, played to comedic and braggadocio perfection by Bill Paxton, if he’s from the U.S., the man snaps, “No sir! I’m Kentucky!” Cruise earns a lot of laughs, too. I love the scenes in which he’s trying to convince his master sergeant or fellow soldiers he’s living the same day over and over.
It’s a showcase for dramatic actors who give weight and substance to an improbable story and convince an audience to go along with them. Cruise and Emily Blunt, the woman soldier who had the same ability as Cruise but lost it, sell every moment they’re on the screen. And Pullman delivers such a flavorful and entertaining performance as Wade’s master sergeant, he nearly steals the movie in his limited time on the screen. “No sir! I’m from Kentucky!” You have to see and hear the way he delivers that line.
It’s also a movie that doesn’t insult its audience, but trusts it to appreciate a film into which a lot of careful thought and talent was poured. It must have been harder than animating Spider-Man or a bunch of Autobots.
Complaints? The ending is rather conventional, given what came before, although I was pleased with how the story wrapped up. Also, there are no big ideas at play in “Edge of Tomorrow; rather the movie plays like a well-oiled and relentless machine, grinding toward a conclusion every part of it was built to reach. But what a beautiful machine it is.
I’ve seen “Edge of Tomorrow” twice, and plan to see it a third time while it’s still in theaters. Yet the movie isn’t doing well, probably because it’s an unfamiliar property. So take a moment and think about the kind of movie you enjoy. If you like genre films, do you prefer clever, original, well-made science fiction? Or do you simply want to see the same superhero movie over and over and over ...
You don’t need Wade’s special ability to escape that time loop. All you have to do is see “Edge of Tomorrow.” Please do. I want to see more movies like it.
Three-and-a-half out of four stars. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive material.