THIS is why we go to the movies!

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2014)

Why do we go to the movies? To be entertained, to laugh, to be thrilled and to be pulled into a situation that we will never experience ourselves. Edge of Tomorrow doesn't just meet the above criteria, it smashes it and is one of the best and most surprising movies of the year.
The introduction explains that humanity is battling an alien force known as the "Mimics" who have swiftly swallowed most of Europe and Russia. Tom Cruise plays William Cage, a wimpy PR strategist for the United Defence Force, who has never seen a day of combat in his life and is content to sit out as American troops pour into England to assist the fight as mankind gather for one last stand on the beaches of Normandy. After upsetting the top ranking officer, Cage finds himself cast into the frontline of battle in a metal exo-suit. Unfortunately for the troops it is a slaughter and cries of "they shouldn't even know we were coming" are heard among the soldiers. Within five minutes Cage is dead along with every other soldier on the beach.
Then he wakes up on the day before battle and is again thrust into action before swiftly being killed off again. And of course he wakes up again then dies and wakes up and dies and wakes up and so on and so on. Each time he re-visits the same battle he learns more about the enemy and figures out how to stay alive slightly longer. If you're looking for a comparison it is Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers.
Tom Cruise is excellent in the role – it is refreshing to see him as a smug pathetic coward who grows into an action hero – it is his best role in years. Cruise teams up with Emily Blunt – also excellent who clearly spent a lot of time in the gym whilst preparing for her character of battle hardened soldier Rita, nicknamed Full Metal B***h. She agrees to train Cage every day and soon discover they share a connection which just might win the war and save mankind.
The action scenes are fast paced and blistering – the Mimics are an unstoppable force of sci-fi cinema and the beach battles are brilliantly rendered by director Doug Liman who has adapted the story from an obscure Japanese story called All You Need is Kill. Although the body count is regularly high, it isn't a violent movie. To the contrary, it is a very entertaining and even laugh out loud funny in places as Rita often discovers the most efficient way to handle Cage is to kill him repeatedly and "re-set".
Edge of Tomorrow, although not totally original (What is these days?), it is entirely refreshing to see a big budget Hollywood blockbuster that isn't a sequel, re-boot or comic book adaption. It is one of the most enjoyable films you'll experience all year. In short, THIS is why we go to the movies!