Biggest pleasant surprise

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2014)

Quickie Review:
After an alien invasion, all of humanity unite together to fight a losing war. Cage (Tom Cruise), a rookie soldier, unknowingly gains the ability to relive the last day of his life every time he dies. With the help of a seasoned soldier, Rita (Emily Blunt) and his new found ability, Cage must find a way to win this war. Despite the generic alien-war synopsis, Edge of Tomorrow delivers an incredibly entertaining, action-packed sci-fi, with great humor. This is one of the best sci-fi action movies in a long time. You will no doubt leave the cinema very satisfied.
Full Review:
When the first trailers were released, Edge of Tomorrow felt like yet another unoriginal movie with a brush of CGI to hide its faults and make it look pretty. I will admit, I should not have been so shallow, because Edge of Tomorrow is also pretty on the inside pretty freaking awesome.
The actors Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt were incredible to watch. Cruise has solidified himself as an action super-star over the years, and in this film you continue to see his dedication to every stunt and action scene. Emily Blunt does a great job portraying a skilled badass soldier as Rita Vrataski, a.k.a. Full Metal Bitch (admit it, that's a badass name). They both have very convincing character development and a great on-screen chemistry together.
The story involves Cage gaining the time-reset ability from the aliens, and how he uses it. This plot device does mean that some scenes are repeated to a certain extent. However, at no point did the repeated scenes feel repetitious. This is because there is always a change that is introduced, but more importantly it is because of the humor in this movie. Of all the surprises, that has to be the biggest one. The movie, especially the first half, is genuinely funny and that helps keep things engaging. It is a good balance to have this humor against the bleakness of the serious setting.
As for the action, it is exhilarating to watch. The clunky yet powerful exoskeletons the humans wear make for some cool fight scenes. The CGI is seamlessly rendered in every scene and is immediately impactful. The best part of the action scenes are the aliens themselves, with some very unique creature designs. Sci-fi elements of how the aliens function is well realized. Additionally to the designs, their movements are actually terrifyingly awesome. They move in a very chaotic and erratic manner, which makes fighting these aliens all the more intense.
Edge of Tomorrow has all the elements of a fun summer blockbuster. It is action-packed, funny, has great memorable characters, and more. Some story elements may not be very original, but the way all the pieces come together is what makes it so great. This is a truly gripping movie from beginning to the end. I highly recommend checking it out.