Let's Do the Time Warp Again

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2014)

This film is recommended.
What do you get when you mix the plot ideas of two classic films, the romantic comedy, Groundhog Day, and an old sci-fi thriller, Starship Troopers? You get its illegitimate offspring, Edge of Tomorrow (or the renamed: Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow, to be exact), a well-made sci-fi film that surprisingly failed at the box office in the States and Europe but earned far larger profits in the Asian markets abroad. It has now been resurrected in its DVD, Blu-Ray format under its new title. Will the film now have a longer shelf life and finally become a modest hit? Only time will tell.
Starring the forever young Tom Cruise, chalking up yet another action figure to add to his resume, and the forever talented Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow deserved a better fate. What it lacks in originality, it more that makes up in its thrilling action sequences and plot turns.
The plot involves a military mission to stop an alien invasion by getting to the Omega, the source of power for the aliens and destroying it. The creatures (called Mimics?) are multi- tentacled spinning dervishes that dispatch their prey (meaning us) in mega seconds. Cruise plays William Cage, a soldier caught in a continuous time loop that creates the exact same moments leading to his death by one of these monsters. Due to his untimely death and some sort of blood infusion, he discovers that he can control his fate with different outcomes every cycle. With more practice training and guidance from a commanding officer Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), Cage becomes a better and more agile soldier, finally ready for combat.
The film's plot structure gets a bit weary but Doug Liman directs the action scenes with much skill, even if the characters remain one dimensional. The film is well edited by James Herbert and Laura Jennings, with quick cuts and extreme close-ups to maintain the tension and fast pacing. At times, the film resembles a video game in its sharp hyper-kinetic movements and shoot-to-kill violence. The CGI are strong throughout even if the film's conceit grows monotonous.
Cruise and Blunt have a nice chemistry, although the hints of their romantic relationship seems forced. Bill Paxton adds some comic touches as Cage's gruff boss, but Brendan Gleeson is wasted in his underwritten cliché of a character. Anyway, gamers and fan-boys are the film's target audience and they will enjoy the adrenaline rush of the endless war sequences in Edge of Tomorrow. GRADE: B
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