Edge of Tomorrow

Doug Liman, Sci-fi, 113 mins, (Roadshow) July 4
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt

Groundhog Day with big guns, aliens and mech-suits may sound like an odd mix, but Edge of Tomorrow is a tight, well-paced and enjoyable action movie. If you can suspend your disbelief in regards to some glaring plot holes, then this could be one of the better blockbusters this year.

Cage (Tom Cruise) is a desk-bound pencil pusher who is forced into action in a desperate struggle against an invading race. Not surprisingly, the untrained and unprepared clerk is wiped out in less than 5 minutes, only to discover he has unwittingly stumbled upon some strange technology that allows him to relive the past 24 hours…which also means he has to die all over again.

Rita (Emily Blunt) accompanies Cage on his crusade of repetition, and rather predictively, a romance sparks up between the two, leading to the biggest flaw in the movie. Cage has had an eternity to grow feelings for Rita, whereas she has only known this strange man for a few hours, which can be a rather large and annoying splinter in the narrative as a whole. The movie tries to hurdle over this by showing the clairvoyant-like powers Cage has perfected from learning the nuances of his never-ending day, but doesn’t really manage to sell it.

This is easily ignored, however, as one can’t help but to focus on the growing perfection of Cage’s attacks. Seeing him obliterated in a variety of gruesome ways is also an awesome spectacle. It is almost a shame when they have to move away from this cycle to reach the climax of the movie, which is by no means lackluster, but whimpers in comparison to the war scenes that proceed it.