Sci-fi D-Day meets Groundhog Day. Blunt & Cruise kick alien ass again and again and

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2014)

Mostly cinema should be about great entertainment. Sometimes it needs to be educational. But not today. Today is all about romping with guns and explosions and adventure and thrills with two fine stars and a generous portion of intelligence.
The Edge of Tomorrow is essentially a futuristic D-Day thriller; it's a science fiction Groundhog Day with aliens, a Source Code with warfare instead of terrorism.
Earth is losing the war with a hyper intelligent alien species and no military force seems capable of thwarting them. Humankind is doomed unless a miracle occurs. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is a soldier with no combat experience whose reward for p*****g off his superior is a reposting as cannon fodder from which he is not expected to return. He doesn't. Except he does. Kind of. Killed in minutes, Cage finds himself reliving the day, but with memories of each previous experience. He finds Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) who understands his unlikely 'gift' and together they must learn quicker than the aliens in order to win the war before time stops resetting.
It's easy to take potshots at Cruise; he's just about the biggest movie star in the world, has been box office gold for 30 years and has the odd turkey to his name. But Cruise is a star for a very good reason and The Edge of Tomorrow more than makes up for last year's clunky Oblivion. This is an intelligent action thriller where Cruise doesn't merely fall back on his cheeky smile and winning screen persona, he gets down and dirty with the task of killing that which would destroy our planet. And what a fine job he does of it.
The Edge of Tomorrow is clearly sold on Cruise's name. He's the star, the box office draw and the principal reason it was green lit. But the greatest joy here is that he almost plays second fiddle to Emily Blunt. And it works. Rita kicks Cage's ass, she absolutely rocks and is a gritty heroine who doesn't need the tight-fitting Lycra and a heaving bust of the Lara Croft-types Hollywood mostly serves up to capture our attention; shut up, watch and listen or she'll beat the crap out of you and leave you to pick up your own dismembered limbs. Cruise is the bigger name, but Blunt is the centerpiece of The Edge of Tomorrow and it's a refreshing change from the expected norm.
Top marks, then, to screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Jez & John-Henry Butterworth for their gripping adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel, All You Need is Kill, that retains the brutality without ostracizing viewers with a leaning towards sit-back-and-relax action thrillers.
Director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Jumper) is on his surest ground since Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2005 and ramps up the thrills, injecting them with humour that never detracts from the task at hand. There is a worrying moment when he puts Blunt in a 'look at me, I'm an action heroine' sequence in a battle rehearsal warehouse, but it is forgivable for being brief; Liman clearly respects his star and her ability to grip us firmly by the short and curlies without needing to resort to pseudo machismo and constant cleavage shots. And he respects his audience enough to realise we'll buy into our heroes, irrespective of gender, if their performance is strong. Neither lets him down and Liman reciprocates. Just, please god, resist the temptation from the men with the dollars in their eyes to fabricate a pointless, needless sequel.
After my disappointment of the sure-fire hit that was X-Men: Days of Future Past, I approached The Edge of Tomorrow cautiously. I needn't have worried. Yes, it is fantasy. But this is science fiction and it's a movie, so stop your whinging about it not being realistic. It is, however, thrilling, exciting and the most fun I've had at the cinema I've had for a good few months.
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