Edge of Tomorrow - Film Review

‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is an enjoyable science fiction action movie that asks for moderate investment from the viewer in order to keep up with the pace of the story as the film’s protagonists, +Tom Cruise  & Emily Blunt, hurtle toward their inevitable showdown with alien invaders whose mission it is to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth. There will be some audience members who feel confused by the first half of the film, as its non-linear story sees Cruise’s character, Major Bill Cage, forced to live the same day over and over when his blood combines with one of the “Mimic” aliens he has been sent to battle on the frontlines as part of the ironically-named ‘Operation Downfall’. Just at the moment of his death, Cruise wakes up back at Heathrow Airport the day before, where he has been unceremoniously dumped at an invasion staging-point after he has tried to blackmail the General in charge of the mission to recapture Europe from the alien invaders. It may seem hard-to-follow, but it’s not.

Tom Cruise is sent to the frontline with no training to fight, is killed, but, through a twist-of-fate, ends up reliving the day of the battle over and over and over!

The story’s MacGuffin sees Cruise’s Cage get far enough through the events of the battle with the aliens to meet Emily Blunt’s Rita Vrataski, a Special Forces soldier who has experienced previous success against the other-worldly invaders referred to as “Mimics”. After several re-sets, Vrataski, having also been caught in the time re-sets during a previous fight, recognises that Cage is caught in a temporal loop and gives him the vital piece of encouragement he needs to change his course-of-action upon re-awakening back at Heathrow the next time he dies. Doug Liman, the film’s Director, explained that he found this to be one of the challenges that drew him to the film.

“The concept of this really unique time loop hooked me in,” he says. “It opened everything up and created an opportunity to explore what was interesting about Tom’s character and to witness, day after day of the same day, what takes Cage to the brink. It also forces him to become not only the soldier, but the man, he has to be. When I find a project like this, which has a deeper meaning conveyed with tremendous action and great humour, that’s a movie I want to make.”

Audiences will be familiar with Liman’s work if they have seen ‘The Bourne Identity’ with Matt Damon or ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ with Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. He likes fast-paced story-telling and is not afraid to jump the narrative forward without mountains of exposition to keep it moving. Liman has spent a great deal more time working in television than most motion picture directors and he brings an economy to his work that keeps the action in line with the story. This is extremely important to the first half of ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, where the time re-sets are better shown as short action sequences rather than as single camera set-ups focussed on story exposition. He does allow the pace of the film to slow slightly in the second half so that his two stars can show-off their skills and set the story on a course toward its climax. Structurally, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is not dissimilar to Liman’s break-through film ‘The Bourne Identity’, which carries the viewer along through the first two Acts with a series of chase-style action sequences and then slows in the Third Act to reveal the greater conspiracy in play.

Cruise as Bill Cage and Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski work together to find a way to defeat the alien "Mimics" who threaten the existence of humanity.

The point at which the relationship between Cruise and Blunt is allowed to become the focus of the movie, which comprises most of the Second Act of ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, certainly gives the film its strongest moments. The first part of the Second Act sees an escalation in the use of the temporal re-set device, however, it is used less throughout the second half as the pair make more progress with each successive mission. This leads to a more conventional narrative in the second half of the movie and allows for some welcome character development between Cruise and Blunt’s characters. The story’s structure also allows Cruise to play some nice moments, as it becomes clear that both Blunt and the audience are experiencing events for the first-time that he has been reliving every day for as long as he can remember. Credit for this must also be shared with screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Jez & John-Henry Butterworth. McQuarrie is currently one of the global film industry’s more versatile writers, having written such diverse projects as ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘The Tourist’, ‘Valkyrie’ and ‘Jack Reacher’. His previous collaborations with Cruise must have been enjoyable, as this marks the pair’s third film and McQuarrie has signed to direct him in the next ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie.

In addition to the film’s screenplay, other great behind-the-scenes talent has contributed to make ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ a first-rate piece of entertainment. Director of Photography Dion Beebe is also no stranger to working with Tom Cruise, having lensed arguably one of his best films, Michael Mann’s ‘Collateral’. Beebe was also the recipient of an Academy Award for his work on the critically-acclaimed 2002 film ‘Chicago’. German Production Designer +Oliver Scholl  is no stranger to big-budget science fiction movies and has designed films such as ‘Independence Day’ & ‘Godzilla’ for Roland Emmerich and also worked on ‘Jumper’, another Doug Liman movie. Scholl is highly-regarded conceptual illustrator and, in this capacity, has worked on a diverse range of genre movies including ‘Batman Forever’, ‘Bicentennial Man’, Steven Spielberg’s ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’, ‘The Polar Express’ and ‘Zathura: A Space Adventure’.

In front of the camera, Cruise and Blunt are supported by two very familiar character actors in Brendan Gleeson and Bill Paxton. Like many others on the film, Gleeson is no stranger to working with Tom Cruise having appeared in John Woo’s ‘Mission: Impossible II’. Gleeson’s character of General Brigham is the man responsible for sending Cruise’s character to the frontline of the invasion and plays an important role in enabling Cage and Vrataski to find out where they need to get to in an effort to stop the “Mimics” from successfully crossing the English Channel and invading London later in the story. Versatile character actor Bill Paxton is a familiar face to movie-goers around the world. He has been part of James Cameron’s go-to troupe with supporting roles in ‘Aliens’, ‘True Lies’ and ‘Titanic’. Paxton also played Bill Henrickson, one of the central characters in the acclaimed TV series ‘Big Love’ which ran from 2006 to 2011. In ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ he plays Master Sergeant Farrell, responsible for making sure that Cruise’s character is sent to the frontlines to what is certain death. It’s an important role, as Farrell, at points, has to demonstrate a sympathetic attitude without deviating from his orders. In the hands of the wrong actor it could have been very hammy, but Paxton, under Liman’s direction, gets the job done nicely.

Bill Paxton plays Master Sergeant Farrell, whose job it is to make sure that Cruise's Cage is sent into battle.

So, is ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ a good film? The answer is “Yes”. It’s well made. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt work well together and, unlike some Cruise’s co-stars, Blunt retains her character’s strength throughout the film, largely unaware that Cruise’s Bill Cage has gotten to know her well enough to want to protect her from one version of the future in the hope that another one can play itself out.

The next question is whether or not ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is a good science fiction film ... The answer to this is more problematic. It’s less of a science fiction film than ‘Oblivion’; Cruise’s 2013 entry into the genre. Besides the time re-set, there’s less ambiguity about what is happening. The film’s militaristic elements also make it feel less like a piece of speculative science fiction and many of the settings are present day environments such as London and Paris. The story’s “alien scourge” antagonists are more like the “Zombies” from Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” as they are somewhat homogeneous without any great character and have a singular focus on ridding the Earth of humanity. It may not be the best “Science Fiction” but the story does take Cruise’s Bill Cage on the ‘Heroes Journey’ and this examination of the lead character’s ability to cope with adversity is extremely important to good science fiction. Whether he succeeds or fails is best left for the viewer to discover on the big screen, where ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is definitely best enjoyed!