Not To Be Missed: Cult Classic

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2014)

Let me begin by stating that I didn't bother to go see this film until almost a month after release. I thought the trailers looked somewhat interesting but, there had been so many disappointing pieces of sci-fi over the past few years that I was very wary. I found myself at the movies unable to stand going to see another sequel/prequel/comic book movie so I decided on Edge of Tomorrow in IMAX. What a treat this film was. The scope and action, the cinematography and editing, the acting and humor were surprising to say the least. Both my friend and I were blown away. 11 viewings later, I figured I should make this my first IMDb movie review.
Tom Cruise gives a great and unique performance playing a coward. His comedic timing is impressive here. He can still carry a blockbuster and all is forgiven for past err.. let downs. The criminally underrated Emily Blunt shows that she can do anything including action. Playing a hardened veteran/ poster girl Rita, Blunt manages to sell her toughness while bringing touching vulnerability to her character. Melting into her role, she is completely believable (her background story also helps) as the epic warrior. There are a few smaller roles with big name actors. The best among them is Bill Paxton who plays a commander. He brings some of the most quotable movie lines in recent memory while also carrying much of the dark humor. For the relatively short screen time of his character, he manages to have a large impact on the film as a whole.
Admittedly, this is really a tale of two halves. The first 2/3 of the movie is about as good as it gets in terms to quality and entertainment. The last 1/3 leaves something to be desired. Had it finished better, we would have a master piece of entertainment on our hands. As it stands, this film remembers what most forget; that it's purpose is entertainment. It is not trying to change your outlook on life. You get action, humor, love, drama and clever plotting for pretty much the entire run time. With almost unlimited re-watch ability due to the fact that there is very little fat: No scene or moment is wasted while the plot and action move at a break-neck speed. I'm still rating it a 9/10 because of the perfection of the first two acts. Don't miss this one and shame on you if you didn't see it on the big screen.
Check out the book "All You Need is Kill". Worth reading as it is very different from the film.
Out of 4
Movie Score **** Film Score ***