Tense, clever and exhilarating.

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2014)

Set in the not too distant future when the human race is struggling through an alien invasion, Edge of Tomorrow follows an Army public relations officer, Cage (Tom Cruise), as he is put on the front line against his will. There's a double twist though: first, Cage is framed as a deserter and a low-ranking grunt, then, he becomes stuck in a time loop forcing him to relive the ruthless slaughter over and over again. There's a lot of reasons why this film might not have worked – the concept is ostensibly too similar to Source Code, director Doug Liman hasn't had a bona fide hit in years, Tom Cruise's star wattage is arguably waning – yet this is the best blockbuster of 2014 so far. The masterfully constructed action is surprisingly brutal and grimy, with Cruise's reluctant hero experiencing a whole gamut of vicious injuries and deaths, whilst the computer effects employed to bring the otherworldly creatures to life, in addition to augmenting the set pieces, are simply flawless. Christopher McQuarrie's screenplay (adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel "All You Need is Kill") doesn't quite reinvent the wheel as much as it just tweaks and perfects it, adding a few minor twists and turns to the already interesting concept to keep it fresh and unpredictable. Most impressive, however, is how the "die to reset" premise is mined for brilliantly shocking and macabre moments of laugh-out-loud humour, largely revolving around Cage's over ambitious attempts to change the course of his day(s). Cruise and Emily Blunt share a remarkable chemistry and subsequently make for a wonderfully against-type pairing; he initially being the useless, pompous prick needing to harden up and she being the badass warrior who can train him in the art of killing. There have been a few excellent blockbusters already this year, but this subversive, tense and exhilarating flick manages to edge out its competition.