Pleasantly surprised

Rating: 7/10 (2 November 2014)

I was fully prepared to be frustrated with wasted time during the repeats in this movie given the premise. I have to admit, though, it was handled well.
Tom Cruise was cast perfectly at the beginning of the movie as the soft, bureaucratic military officer and his growth into a hardened soldier was realistic and well-acted.
With apologies to Keira Knightley, Emily Blunt may be the most beautiful woman in Hollywood sans makeup. She was rarely portrayed as vulnerable in the movie, and that was a nice refresher from the standard woman-in-power's perceived weakness.
Bill Paxton brings the score down in this movie, as he remains one of the worst actors in show biz in my opinion.