A surprisingly clever sci-fi film

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2014)

This is yet another 2014 film that I'm late to although, considering the lackluster box office take, there's probably a lot of people who weren't aware of this or went and saw something else instead. It's their loss, though, as this is an incredible sci-fi adventure with plenty of action, humor and a dynamite lead performance by Tom Cruise. The gist of the story is that Major Bill Cage (Cruise) is a media specialist/recruiter for the Army who really likes his cushy job, but ends up getting thrown headlong into combat. On the morning of a huge invasion he ends up getting killed, but something happens to him that allows him to reset the day whenever he dies. The rest of the story is him trying to find a way to defeat the alien invaders, called Mimics, by taking advantage of this new ability. The person who really sells this movie is Tom Cruise, who is game for pretty much everything thrown at him. He gives an honest emotional as well as physical performance. Also of note are Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson who also do well in their roles. Emily Blunt does especially well, adding some emotional depth to the story while playing an uncharacteristically tough female role in a male-dominated story. Did I mention that she also kicks a lot of butt? Another element that elevated it above your typical alien invasion sci-fi film was the amount of humor. All of it came naturally out of the story and situations dictated by the plot, and none of it felt forced at all. The visual effects were also top-notch, and I liked the alien creature designs. The only couple of negatives I can draw out are some shaky-cam in the battle scenes, which is still kind of appropriate and recalls the Normandy beach landing in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, and that a lot of the supporting characters aren't fleshed out enough outside of the stars in the cast. That being said, everyone gave an excellent performance. Overall, despite having the same gimmick as GROUNDHOG DAY, EDGE OF TOMORROW is an exciting, engaging and, in the end, thoughtful sci-fi film that has immense replay value. This is definitely one movie you won't mind watching again.