Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers

Rating: 6/10 (5 April 2016)

As the story of EDGE OF TOMORROW unfolded before me, I couldn't help but notice the similarities to two minor classics of 1990s cinema: GROUNDHOG DAY, in which Bill Murray is forced to re-live the same day over and over again, and STARSHIP TROOPERS, in which humans battled aliens to the death. It's fair to say that the writers behind this one mined both films for inspiration and came up with a watchable, if light, concoction.
The problem with EDGE OF TOMORROW really is its familiarity, but saying that, it still works as a worthwhile Hollywood blockbuster. The action scenes are intensive and impressive, bringing to mind the hectic and war-torn countryside of WW1, with which there are many similarities. Doug Liman, who handled THE BOURNE IDENTITY all those years ago, still has a handle on delivering well-paced and exciting action, so that's something.
I'm not the biggest Tom Cruise fan around, but you can see why he liked this role: he gets a chance to play a kook, a dummy, for a change. I still think Emily Blunt keeps getting miscast in action-orientated roles, but she's acceptable here, and the supporting cast includes welcome turns from Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, and the like. The sci-fi storyline is filled with twists and turns and it doesn't make much sense if you think about it too deeply, and the CGI isn't all that, but nonetheless EDGE OF TOMORROW is one of those films where you switch your brain off and just sit back and enjoy.