Tomorrow Never Dies

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2017)

Live, die, repeat. Or more appropriately: lather, rinse, repeat. So is the basic premise for Doug Liman's "Edge of Tomorrow." Not your average Tom Cruise vehicle, the film is built on the premise of a solider who, by some form of luck -- good or bad -- has attained the power to hit refresh on the same day. The catch is, he must die in order to do so. But in repeating the same day over and over again, he gains the edge over the Mimics -- robotic/insect aliens -- that have invaded his planet and eventually wins the trust (and, yes, affection) of his tough-as-nails partner, played by Emily Blunt.
That's right, this is basically a sci-fi "Groundhog Day" with a video-game twist. Cruise's character re-spawns over and over again until he can learn from his mistakes and make progress. Naturally, this lends itself to a few humorous brushes with fate and a potential for fatigue as the audience is treated to the same action sequence over and over again for most of the first half of the film. No matter, though, as the film is never as dull as its limited premise would suggest. Liman, who directed the exceedingly entertaining and refreshing first "Bourne Identity" flick, is right at home with the material. The action is tempered with humor and flickers of humanity, with a surprisingly tolerable turn from Cruise, though Blunt is the real shining star of the movie. Stone- faced and focused, her character is the backbone and the heart of the movie, undercut only when the film sees fit to pull her into an unneeded romantic side-plot with Cruise (who is, incidentally, old enough to be her father). Elsewhere in the cast, we are treated to the always wonderful Bill Paxton as Cruise's increasingly befuddled sergeant. While he misses the perfect opportunity for a reprisal of his "Game over, man, GAME OVER!" line from "Aliens," he is another bright-spot in the film. But then again, a little Paxton always went a long way in making any film better (R.I.P.).
The film admittedly gets a little soggy in the final act, as the aforementioned romantic subplot is tacked on and the film strains to find a satisfying conclusion. The action ultimately becomes a bit of a blur, and the cinematography gets a little sloppy during the final face-off between Cruise and the Mimics. It doesn't completely undo the goodwill generated by the first half or so, but one can't help but sniff a little bit of last-minute studio-meddling and re- shooting here. Regardless, "Edge of Tomorrow" is a more than satisfactory and unique sci-fi film. Flawed, yes, but most assuredly a solid way to pass a rainy Sunday afternoon.