Surprisingly refreshing

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2014)

Let me start by saying I've got a bit of beef with the title Edge of Tomorrow. I first came across the film around a year ago whilst scrolling through Tom Cruise's filmography on IMDb. There was a title for a future release adapted from a novel called All you need is kill. Well, there's an eye-catching title. The name itself was the only reason I added it to my watch list. Fast forward to a couple of months andthe film's gone. Oh. It took me a few weeks to find out that All you need is kill and Edge of Tomorrow were one and the same. And I find the new title a bitmeh, really. It sounds too la-di-da, too generic, and too Hollywoodish. All you need is kill is far more direct and striking, which is why I estimate that the new title will be forgotten in a couple of months. It's a shame really, because the film is far from ordinary.
Edge of Tomorrow could be described as a combination of Groundhog Day, Starship Troopers and Source code. Whilst the premise is clearly not original, the way it is delivered makes up for the lack of creativity. The film is a breath of fresh air in the sense that it's a sci-fi film that does not try to build worlds, and instead focuses on a smallish scale story where it could have easily been lured into attempting a huge epic story when there is no room for it.
The trailers will have you believe that like Battle LA and Oblivion we would be getting another grim and gritty sci-fi blockbuster, in the wake of The Dark Knight. What they don't show you is just how funny the damn film is. The filmmakers utilized the fact that they could have Tom Cruise dying in all sorts of ridiculous ways (although probably not to their full extent – the film is PG-13 after all). One stand out death involved Tom Cruise making an escape from the military by rolling away from a press-up routine – right under the wheels of a passing truck. After Cruise emits his in-movie trademark shriek Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton), with a disgusted look on his face and supporting a hillbilly accent, inquires "What were you thinking boy?" Paxton was great in this, by the way. Really witty. It was like he was struggling to hold back an urge to wink at the camera. His involvement and Brendon Gleeson's was why I watched the film in the first place. Gleeson wasn't in it much but Paxton had a somewhat healthy role.
For a film that, in a way, replays the same scenes over and over again Edge of Tomorrow has a charm that remains consistent throughout. The pacing suits me just fine as does the fact that everyone involved seemed to know that this movie's purpose was to first and foremost entertain the viewer. Going grim and gritty would have ultimately made the ridiculous premise boring and bland.
It may be funny, but it's not a comedy – the film is truly a special effects-filled blockbuster. The metallic suits were awesome as were the weaponry. The aliens themselves were a bit forgettable but it was a visual feast seeing them get torn apart by bullets. I enjoyed the humanity aspect too – the idea that Cruise would start to develop feeling for Emily Blunt – the "Full Metal Bitch" – throughout the time loops as she tells him more about her was an interesting and well thought out one. The fight scenes were great. Unlike the Transformers movies you could see what was going on and the intense war scenes recall the Omaha Beach assault in Saving Private Ryan.
It's a shame this isn't making much money. I'd like to see more Hollywood blockbusters with interesting premises that seek to entertain first and foremost. Cruise and Blunt had a great chemistry, the special effects was great and Edge of Tomorrow was an all-round worthy trip to the cinema.
My Rating: 7/10
Final Word: Surprising
Full Review: http://cineranter.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/movie-review- edge-of-tomorrow/