This Is What The Hollywood Blockbuster Should Be

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2014)

In my eyes, Edge Of Tomorrow is an example of what a Hollywood blockbuster should be. It can be fun and full of action, but it also has an interesting plot that makes you think a little bit, and the acting is really good. This movie shows that just because there's action in the script, doesn't mean that all you include is big explosions in order to pull people into seeing it.
This movie has a simple premise. A man ends up obtaining the power to reset the day when he dies, giving him the chance to save the world from invading aliens. Yes, similar to Groundhog Day, but it's really well done. They establish certain events happening within this single day, allowing them to do some creative and often hilarious things when we first see Cruise' character relive those events. He will say things to people before they even say it themselves, try to save people in battle, and even train in order to become a better fighter. It also embraces a lot of humour, in one scene showing Cruise with epic music trying to learn from his mistakes, but constantly getting killed in slightly embarrassing ways, cutting the music, and then cutting back to the same scene but where he does it properly, the music starting up again. It made me laugh out loud many times. The film also occasionally has Cruise say things like "we tried to do that before and it didn't work", implying that he had experienced many failed attempts before that we as an audience didn't need to see but we now know. It's really smart about how much failure it shows us versus how much of his progression we see. There are a few twists and turns here that help make the plot more interesting as well. Also, a lot of people complain about the ending, but I think it works perfectly because of all we have been through with the characters.
The acting is really good. Tom Cruise starts off as a wimpy guy who really doesn't want to fight and doesn't seem like a hero. But as the film goes along, he becomes braver and more heroic, making you like him more and more. Emily Blunt is also extremely good. What I love about her character is that she is really bad-ass and strong, BUT it isn't done in a ham-fisted, "girls can be tough too" kind of way. She is a tough character that just happens to be a girl, and that's what modern movies need. Enough of those silly characters that try so hard to empower women that they seem laughable. Give us REAL strong and tough girl characters like this, and women will feel empower for real! There is also a bit of a love plot going on with Cruise and Blunts' characters, BUT it doesn't over take the film and doesn't feel unnecessary.
Perhaps my only complaint is that while the CGI is good and there can be some interesting things to look at, the movie has a bit of the typical Hollywood boring cinematography. Comparing this to Oblivion, another beautiful Tom Cruise sci-fi film that came out recently, it just feels slightly uninspired at time. But it does get the job done and has some really cool action sequences, like the caravan alien chase and a lot of the beach invasion scenes.
Overall I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes sci- fi, action, or anyone who wants to watch a good film that you will have fun with. It's highly enjoyable, well done, and easily accessible. It's exactly what a big budget Hollywood movie should be.