Watch, enjoy, repeat

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2014)

As more and more trailers came out for "Edge of Tomorrow" the more excited I became and, after watching it, I'm soooo glad I spent the money needed to see it in the theater because it is EXACTLY how a summer blockbuster should be!
Since I'm a gamer, I really enjoyed the story because this is the closest a movie will come to actually showing off the feeling of playing a video game. The whole "live, die, repeat" was broadcast perfectly and we really get a feeling that Cage (Tom Cruise) is growing with each reboot—just like when you play a particularly hard level in a video game and keep dying but you get to learn the tricks to surviving with each passing life and refusal to enter in the Konami Code. Cruise was just awesome in the film as he perfectly plays a guy who is doing everything he can to not serve in the war against the aliens to a guy who finally learns how to master his exoskeleton Jacket and transforms himself into an alien killing machine to a guy who realizes the weight of all humanity is on his shoulders and must do what is right for the future of the human race to continue. Cruise nails all these attributes and is capable of being very amusing all the way through, as well.
Now, this shouldn't come as a surprise, but (are you ready for this?) Emily Blunt was fantastic in her role as Rita, the alien tail-kicking, make Ripley cry because she can't compete with her epicness and armed with a sword stolen from Cloud from "Final Fantasy VII" soldier. It's a fact of life that Blunt is a great actress. You can't deny it. To do so would be like saying that chocolate and peanut butter aren't perfect for each other, the sky isn't blue, and that crazy doesn't belong on Fox News. Not only was she intense, tough, and determined in her role, she was also capable of being hard as a rock and a genuine hero without having her sexuality thrown into the mix. It's a rare sight to see a female protagonist that isn't all about being eye candy or sex drive driven. Instead, the moment she steps into the film, in all her exosuit, gigantic sword glory, you know that she isn't her to be the damsel in distress or get doughy eyed around the men-folk (or being portrayed in wearing next to nothingand if this movie was based on a video game, you know the developers would have designed her with a large chest and a thong underneath that suit. The video game industry is sad a lot of the times).
Blunt and Cruise (which sounds like a buddy cop sitcom coming to FX this fall) were not the only strong aspects of the cast. In fact, everyone involved is great! The only downside is that a lot of the side characters—who all look like a fun, colorful bunch—aren't as developed as the Cage and Rita characters. This is kind of a bummer but not something that destroyed the film for me. While some characters, like Bill Paxton's (who is just plain fun) may not need extra development because you know what you're getting with him thanks to a fun, great performance from an established actor but many of the members of Cage's squad seem like they would be interesting but the most we learn about them is from gags about how Cage keeps living the same day over and over again and knows all about them when he "first" meets the crew. This is a downside to the film but not an entertainment killer for me.
One thing I wasn't prepared for with "Edge of Tomorrow" was just how funny the film was. I knew it was going to be a cool Sci-Fi story (and it lived up to that) and I expected awesome action (and I got that) but never did I expect the film to be as funny as it was. Sure, I predicted there would be a couple of chuckle moments here and there but what I got was a film that was, flat-out, hilarious and capable of being so without creating constantly shifting and jarring moves in tones that stepped on the feet of the more serious portions of the film. This film had the balance that so many stories often fail at getting right and that is being a killer story that is filled with drama, tension, excitement, jaw-dropping moments and spectacularly hilarious all at the same time.
"Edge of Tomorrow" is exactly what a summer blockbuster is suppose to be. The cast is great, the story is just fantastic, the action is more than enough to satisfy the action portion of your brain and it has the perfect blend of human drama and comedy. I can't wait for this film to come out on Blu-Ray because I plan on watching it over and over againkinda like Cage in this story only more sitting on my bum and more Cheetos eating.