Quality sci-fi with arguably the greatest film star ever

Rating: 7/10 (28 September 2015)

Version I saw: UK cinema release (2D)
Actors: 7/10
Plot/script: 7/10
Photography/visual style: 6/10
Music/score: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
There is a case to be made for dubbing Tom Cruise the greatest star in film history. Not necessarily the best star, and certainly not the best actor (although he can be very good on his day). For three whole decades, he has played lead in among the biggest blockbusters of the year, and yet is also willing to set aside his ego on occasion to play villains and other deeply flawed characters. Alongside the action hero parts, I could point you to Tropic Thunder, Collateral, Magnolia and Interview With the Vampire for a truly rounded filmography that stretches right up to the present day.
Edge of Tomorrow is one of Cruise's less outright heroic roles. Although he redeems himself by the end, he begins as a cowardly liar, and proceeds largely by an almost endless parade of failure, slowly developing into a badass.
Comparisons have been drawn between Edge of Tom and several other films. In particular, Groundhog Day and Saving Private Ryan are the plot precedents regularly drawn upon, with overtones of Starship Troopers. The story seems to me a direct retelling of the D-Day landings as a science fiction adventure, notably being released within days (and in some countries, on the very day) of the famous World War II offensive's 70th anniversary. It seems this has not been focused on much by reviewers or the film's own PR, but I applaud it as an attempt to make history accessible to young action film fans.
The plot device of a single day endlessly repeated while only one person is aware is now a well worn one, but EoT proves once again that there is more interesting material to explore. The set-up, it has to be said, doesn't entirely makes sense, but the focus is more on the implications than the causes.
It has to be said that the plot trajectory has more than a few clichés about it, revolving around an everyman who discovers an extraordinary ability, trains under a master and exceeds the master to save the day. However, when the master in question is played by Emily Blunt, an expert in characters with a little bit of grit and a share of concealed vulnerability, I am happy to let it go.
It's a shame they couldn't call the film 'All You Need Is Kill', the title of the Japanese light novel on which it is based, but I can see why the producers decided they needed something a bit less 'engrish'. This is very much a Tom Cruise film, and that is the way it was sold.