Action movie as best as it gets

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2017)

I loved this movie - the epitome of a good action movie, and a tribute to Cruise as action hero.
The Edge of Tomorrow reminded me of Groundhog Day in its philosophical premises. It is a constant day repeating itself until the hero gets it right. The difference is that in Groundhog Day the aim of the story is to give time to the character to redeem himself, to become his best self and get a fulfilling life; so the repeating day is a personal intimate quest. The Edge of Tomorrow is more about the process of change itself, on learning of your mistakes, correcting them, trying again until you achieve your goals. Of course, if you are a video-gamer that is what you do when you play, but I don't think it would be fair reducing this movie to a on-screen video-game, because I don't feel it is.
Tom Cruise is the quintessential action hero to me. He is always fantastic in action movies, no matter the quality of the script, as he is able to carry his characters with honesty and soulfulness. This movie is greatly indebted to him because, although the script is good, Cruise nails it; we are there with Cage, not with Cruise, if you know what I mean.
I am not a fan of Emily Blunt but she is believable in this movie, but not a romantic counterpart to Cruise. She and Cruise don't have much chemistry on camera; they would make good brother and sister, a romantic couple, not so much. Yet, the romantic story is not the essence of the story, so it doesn't really matter.
All the supporting actors are terrific.
Frantic action and great special effects are two assets of this movie. The latter aren't there per se, to fill the gaps in the script and wow the spectator with fluff, they are there to serve the script and contribute to the overall story. That is how things should be in film making, but they are rarely so these days.
The film is very entertaining, a great action film, one of those films that ticks all the wows one expect to find in a 21st century action science-fiction film, but more indebted in its premises to the mindful action movies of the 1980s.
Pure entertainment and more than meets the eye in the story.