A well-made sci-fi action comedy thriller, one of the good films of the year

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2014)

Although it is based on the widely-praised 2004 Japanese sci-fi light novel All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Edge of Tomorrow is a film that reminds you of Groundhog Day (1993), Source Code (2011), Starship Troopers (1997) and Elysium (2013) due to the similarities of the plot elements. Therefore, comparisons are inevitable for some viewers for an alien invasion war film that features time loops and powered exoskeleton suits. But surprisingly, the film managed to stay fresh and entertain the audience with enough humour, action and suspense from start to finish.
The story is about an untrained US military officer, Major William Cage, who's just a spokesperson for the army in the United Defence Force with no battlefield experience whatsoever. He was demoted to private following an act of cowardice and being forcefully sent to the battlefield by the general to fight a losing war against the "Mimics" - invading aliens with the ability to efficiently respond to Earth's military combat strategies.
When Cage is sent to the front lines, he managed to kill a large and extremely rare Alpha Mimic by sheer luck but winds up dead. However, due to his exposure to the Alpha mimic's blood, Cage gains the time-loop ability to relive the same day over and over again each time he dies. Remembering what's going to happen when and where, Cage eventually managed to save Rita, a.k.a. 'Full Metal Bitch' who once had the same ability as him. With Rita's help, Cage's skill as a soldier grows in each subsequent time loop and they work together as a team to find a way to end the war. That's roughly how the story goes.
Despite its time-loop plot device, the film never feels tedious or repetitive due to the occasional humour that comes with Cage's time- looping experience. The repeated scenes were shot at different angles and Cage's response to the situation is different each time that it feels fresh even when he relives his day again. The relationship between Cage and Rita is nicely developed and the constant reintroduction between them is swiftly handled. It's surprisingly funny to see Rita shoots Cage for his countless failures during training and he needs to wake up, find her and get shot again and again. There's also another ridiculously funny scene where members of his squad find him for a fight due to his absence during the training, but Cage managed to remember the moves well that he's managed to avoid them with his eyes closed. The audience gets to see Cage's transition from a coward officer to a well- trained battlefield soldier throughout the film.
The visual effects in the film are top notch and the battle scenes with the Mimics were shot in a fast-paced manner that they keep you engaged at all times. The exoskeleton battle suits are fully utilised in battle, equipped with many weapons. Tom Cruise has always been committed his role in films. Once again, he's giving his best performance as the lead and doing all the stunts himself, which is quite impressive (take note, he's 51). Emily Blunt is a complete badass in her role as Rita, especially when she swings her big sword to kill several Mimics at a time. The origin, function and intention of the Mimics are well explained to the audience without much confusion. However, there's a slight complaint though: most of the cast (especially J squad) does not have any real character development at all and need to rely on exposition to know who they are.
Overall, Edge of Tomorrow is a well-made sci-fi action comedy thriller. It's funny, thrilling and action-packed, the story makes sense and everything falls into place nicely in the end. It's one of the good films released this year.
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Rating: 8/10