Best World War II film that never was

Rating: Null/10 (9 November 2014)

"Edge of Tomorrow" has a whole lot going on. It's not just another scifi action flick, which is what I had thought and almost passed it by because of that. Instead, it's a very interesting mix of genres: scifi action (like "Aliens"), World War II drama (like "The Longest Day") and comedy-philosophical mindbender (like "Groundhog Day").
First the philosophical part. The premise is this: a less-than-honorable officer (Tom Cruise) gets shanghai'd and sent to the front lines in a war against an alien race. He bungles his mission almost immediately. But then an interesting thing happens: he gets sent back to do it again. And again. And again. I call this philosophical because you can immediately see the metaphor for reincarnation. And oddly enough, I got an interesting taste of existentialism here, too: Tom Cruise plays a character whose life has inherently no meaning. However it is through his determination and force of will that he finds an opportunity to try to make meaning for his life. Yes, it is a bit like "Groundhog Day" (where the main character similarly repeats a day over & over), but I stress the existentialist vibe in "Edge" vs. the more Buddhist vibe of "Groundhog" a film more about enlightenment rather than taking control of fate as we see here.
Enough of that; I'll leave you to consider the deeper implications of this film after you see it. The next major point I really enjoyed about this film was the playful sense of humor. First of all, Tom Cruise doesn't play some hotshot soldier who can kill 1000s of enemies on a single magazine of bullets. Instead, he is introduced as something of a pretentious pencil-pusher, an idiot who doesn't even know how to unlock the safety on a firearm let alone fire it. So immediately his character has an added dimension and more room for a dynamic transformation. He's one of the most human soldier characters I've seen in a while. The film is peppered with timely bits of humor that keep things fresh. Director Doug Liman got his start doing comedy ("Getting In", "Swingers", "Go") before he became known for action/thrillers like his "Bourne" films and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (which also have great spots of humor).
And last, there's that bit I alluded to about World War II. "Edge of Tomorrow" plays out very much like a WWII flick, in particular a film about Normandy on D-Day. Thus, the action scenes are not some over-the-top cgi extravaganza in some surreal setting, but rather, they took great pains to recreate an authentic Normandy-type beach setting with tons of live props, explosions, stunts, and very sparing use of cgi effects. So if you're somewhat numbed by computerized visuals, have no fear, "Edge of Tomorrow" is a throwback to the old war flicks our parents grew up on. It does carry a modern, gritty feel to it. But it's still a very classic approach.
When they do resort to computerized special effects, it's fabulous. The aliens that they're fighting are very creative and sinister, more like giant viruses than anything comic booky like Martians with helmets & ray guns. There's no point in describing the aliens, you just gotta see them for yourself.
I also wanted to mention something I didn't notice until almost 45 minutes into the film, but there is an interesting LACK of profanity which makes this a pretty family-friendly flick. If you're like me, maybe you're tired of action flicks where characters drop the f-bomb every 10 words. Well here, we get tough, imposing, mean & dirty characters without them having to cuss like sailors to seem tough. Yes, this is PG-13, but it feels every bit as tense & heavy as an NC-17 or R film.
Thumbs up from someone who rarely watches action flicks. If you end up liking this film, here are a few other gems worth tracking down: "The Host" - an action/comedy/satire monster flick about a sea monster attacking Korea (it is said that the sea monster is a metaphor for Western imperialism), "Robocop" the original 1987 version - a cynical, nightmarish look at the future with spots of great deadpan comedy, and "Starship Troopers" - a very satirical look at war and the mindless mob-mentality violence that often accompanies war, by the same director who did Robocop. It's always fun to find a heart-pounding action flick that has deeper meaning below the surface.