Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson
Directed by: Doug Liman
Screenplay by: Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth
Based on the novel, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
If you like things to be on repeat, like your music for example, this just might be the movie for you.
Humanity is at war with an intelligent alien race that has been on a conquest of Europe for the last five years. Many countries have joined together to fight off the aliens, known as Mimics, but humanity has lost nearly every battle since the war began. All the nations are coming together now to plan the final battle, Operation Downfall, a D-Day-like military operation.
Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), has just been ordered to fight on the front lines in France during the invasion. He has been deemed a deserter trying to impersonate an officer. It's not totally clear why this has happened, but it may have something to do with him refusing the orders in the first place. Once his platoon lands on the beach in France, the invasion turns into a slaughterhouse. Cage is killed within five minutes of landing on the beach by a Mimic that looks different. This particular Mimic, he later finds out, is an alpha Mimic, one that has the power to reset the day, and by it killing him, has given Cage the power to reset the day. Now, he is forced to re-live the same day until the war is over, and it is up to him to end the war. But like all movie heros, he needs a little bit of help.
Meet Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a heroine nicknamed the Angel of Verdun. In a previous battle, the same thing happened to her, and she got her nickname by winning for the human race, their first victory in the war. She may not remember ever meeting Cage each time they meet, but she knows what is happening to him and is able to help him accomplish his goal. In order for Cage to win the war for the human race, he needs to destroy the power that gave him the ability to reset the day. If neither side can reset the day, then the war will be over. Can Cage do it?
In order to discuss this movie properly, it is best to discuss the concept of the film separately from the execution of the story. The concept is very cool: A man who is forced to repeat the same day until he is able to alter the outcome. It's not a very original concept, but it is a concept that has made a movies with similar stories a lot of money. If well executed, this could be a totally mind-blowing action packed thriller. But it isn't exactly mind-blowing. It's relatively predictable throughout and it is pretty easy to tell when the day has been reset.
Tom Cruise delivers one of his weaker performances in this film and Emily Blunt delivers one of her weaker performances as well. Brendan Gleeson is a pleasure to watch on screen although he has such little screen time. This film might have been better if Gleeson's character were less of a periphery character. The best performance of the film however is that of Bill Paxton. He plays a pretty convincing role as Master Sergeant Farrell.
The characters are about as two dimensional as they get. All we know about these characters is what is happening to them on screen in front of us. A little background information on them might be helpful in getting to know them. But background information is definitely a problem in Edge of Tomorrow. We don't know anything about the Mimics. We don't know where they came from or why they have even come to earth. The first minute of the film is a montage of news coverage about the war, but it doesn't tell the audience much about where the Mimics come from, or even what the Mimics are. They're just Mimics, and the audience is left with many questions about the Mimics throughout the film.
One of the positives of the story is how it is "narrated". We don't see every single reset that Cage goes through, but we see some of them. There are times when we know that he has been through a particular part of the story before, and even though the audience hasn't seen it until now, he narrates what is going on to other characters in the scene. He knows exactly what is going to happen even before everybody else in the scene does and it is quite fun to watch the characters react to his omniscience.
The special effects are pretty good, and the 3D isn't bad. If you're going to see this film, let me recommend that you not see it in 3D because the 3D isn't good enough to make it worth the extra money.
Overall, this is a pretty average movie. There are better movies out there currently, but you will enjoy Edge of Tomorrow if you are a fan of Tom Cruise. I can't say that I recommend it and I can't say that I don't recommend it. You'll just have to decide for yourself.
I give Edge of Tomorrow a C+.
Directed by: Doug Liman
Screenplay by: Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth
Based on the novel, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
If you like things to be on repeat, like your music for example, this just might be the movie for you.
Humanity is at war with an intelligent alien race that has been on a conquest of Europe for the last five years. Many countries have joined together to fight off the aliens, known as Mimics, but humanity has lost nearly every battle since the war began. All the nations are coming together now to plan the final battle, Operation Downfall, a D-Day-like military operation.
Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), has just been ordered to fight on the front lines in France during the invasion. He has been deemed a deserter trying to impersonate an officer. It's not totally clear why this has happened, but it may have something to do with him refusing the orders in the first place. Once his platoon lands on the beach in France, the invasion turns into a slaughterhouse. Cage is killed within five minutes of landing on the beach by a Mimic that looks different. This particular Mimic, he later finds out, is an alpha Mimic, one that has the power to reset the day, and by it killing him, has given Cage the power to reset the day. Now, he is forced to re-live the same day until the war is over, and it is up to him to end the war. But like all movie heros, he needs a little bit of help.
Meet Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a heroine nicknamed the Angel of Verdun. In a previous battle, the same thing happened to her, and she got her nickname by winning for the human race, their first victory in the war. She may not remember ever meeting Cage each time they meet, but she knows what is happening to him and is able to help him accomplish his goal. In order for Cage to win the war for the human race, he needs to destroy the power that gave him the ability to reset the day. If neither side can reset the day, then the war will be over. Can Cage do it?
In order to discuss this movie properly, it is best to discuss the concept of the film separately from the execution of the story. The concept is very cool: A man who is forced to repeat the same day until he is able to alter the outcome. It's not a very original concept, but it is a concept that has made a movies with similar stories a lot of money. If well executed, this could be a totally mind-blowing action packed thriller. But it isn't exactly mind-blowing. It's relatively predictable throughout and it is pretty easy to tell when the day has been reset.
Tom Cruise delivers one of his weaker performances in this film and Emily Blunt delivers one of her weaker performances as well. Brendan Gleeson is a pleasure to watch on screen although he has such little screen time. This film might have been better if Gleeson's character were less of a periphery character. The best performance of the film however is that of Bill Paxton. He plays a pretty convincing role as Master Sergeant Farrell.
The characters are about as two dimensional as they get. All we know about these characters is what is happening to them on screen in front of us. A little background information on them might be helpful in getting to know them. But background information is definitely a problem in Edge of Tomorrow. We don't know anything about the Mimics. We don't know where they came from or why they have even come to earth. The first minute of the film is a montage of news coverage about the war, but it doesn't tell the audience much about where the Mimics come from, or even what the Mimics are. They're just Mimics, and the audience is left with many questions about the Mimics throughout the film.
One of the positives of the story is how it is "narrated". We don't see every single reset that Cage goes through, but we see some of them. There are times when we know that he has been through a particular part of the story before, and even though the audience hasn't seen it until now, he narrates what is going on to other characters in the scene. He knows exactly what is going to happen even before everybody else in the scene does and it is quite fun to watch the characters react to his omniscience.
The special effects are pretty good, and the 3D isn't bad. If you're going to see this film, let me recommend that you not see it in 3D because the 3D isn't good enough to make it worth the extra money.
Overall, this is a pretty average movie. There are better movies out there currently, but you will enjoy Edge of Tomorrow if you are a fan of Tom Cruise. I can't say that I recommend it and I can't say that I don't recommend it. You'll just have to decide for yourself.
I give Edge of Tomorrow a C+.
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