I didn't see this one coming

Rating: 8/10 (3 November 2014)

Edge Of Tomorrow was looking like it was going to be one of 2014's big blockbuster flops. Tom Cruise (Not a fan) in what seemed to be the most generic movie ever made. Generic science fiction shoot em up meets Groundhog Day. Really? Yet it's a genuine must see blockbuster with Tom Cruise managing to not be boring for once. A cowardly soldier is stuck in a time loop and replays the same battle over and over again, trying to defeat an alien attack. Ironically, despite being about a time loop, it never feels repetitive and is fun and inventive throughout. It's a bit long, the ending although still great fun feels more generic and at first the film appears to be about to fulfil the expectations of pretty much everyone but aside from that this box office smashing triumph is one of the best blockbusters in a year full of quality science fiction epics. Alongside the better than usual Tom Cruise is Emily Blunt, who's excellent and an awesome action heroine, while none of the other actors fall flat.
Doug Liman proves himself very capable of handling a big budget blockbuster and the action sequences are suspenseful, well crafted and full of believable special effects. The script sparkles with wit and intelligence and while not deep the film is a very entertaining and subtle commentary on the repetitive nature of most blockbusters and how almost all of them are like video games. It repeats itself with the battle, but it's not a repetitive movie otherwise and actually goes in many different directions. Although the Paris finale isn't as inventive as the rest of the movie it's still fun and it's got so much more soul and swagger than anyone would have predicted. This is likely to either be in my 2014 top ten or be an honourable mention. I recommend this to anyone who likes these kinds of movies as it doesn't actually feel like a video game at all and leaves The Amazing Spider-Man 2 cowering in its shadow. An awesome science fiction movie overall, and one I would be happy to rewatch despite its over length.
8/10