"Starship Troopers" meets "Groundhog Day"

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2017)

Despite the presence of Tom Cruise, "Edge of Tomorrow" is a movie that flew somewhat under the radar back in the summer of 2014. Recouping only $100 million of its $170 million budget in domestic ticket sales, the movie proved to be a box office disappointment. However, it did perform better in foreign markets while also garnering a fair amount of praise from critics.
The movie casts Cruise as Major William Cage, a PR officer with no combat experience who gets demoted to private for disobeying orders on the eve of a massive offensive against an alien force. Thrust into the midst of a heated battle, Cage predictably doesn't last very long but when he dies he immediately wakes up on the previous morning with a full memory of what he has experienced. This sets up the movie's 'time loop' premise, whereby Cage continually dies only to experience the same day over and over again, learning from his mistakes and becoming a hardened combat veteran along the way. This draws obvious comparisons to the comedy classic "Groundhog Day" but in this case the phenomenon is given a scientific explanation. As with "Groundhog Day", the premise is utilized cleverly in the repetition of scenes with variations, often to comic effect. There's plenty of action as well and even some dramatic weight at times. Overall, while the general concept may be somewhat familiar, the story (which was adapted from a Japanese light novel) is one that should satisfy both science fiction fans and general moviegoers alike.
The cast is a pretty good one. Tom Cruise is well suited to his role and he receives excellent support from Emily Blunt, who plays a character that previously had the same condition as Cage. The supporting cast is mostly made up of relative unknowns who are nonetheless authentic. That being said, the supporting cast does include Brendan Gleeson & Bill Paxton, who are always welcome in any movie in which they appear.
Director Doug Liman did a good job here, balancing explosive sci-fi spectacle with lighter moments and even a dash of drama. The special effects are well done in a way that supports the story first and foremost, without drawing excessive attention to themselves. Both visually & musically, the movie is well executed though not necessarily exceptional. Probably the best technical aspect of the film is the editing, which is especially important in a movie with an unconventional narrative like this.
Overall, "Edge of Tomorrow" is a finely tuned action movie with a pair of first-rate performances and a clever, absorbing plot. The reasons for its relatively lukewarm reception are anyone's guess but I suspect that American audiences probably just didn't have much interest in seeing Tom Cruise in another sci-fi action movie (particularly after the previous year's similarly tepid response to "Oblivion"). In any case, "Edge of Tomorrow" is well worth watching, both for fans of science fiction and fans of Tom Cruise in general.