Edge of Tomorrow 3D Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence, Language and Brief Suggestive Material)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 53 Minutes

Cast-

Tom Cruise-Major William 'Bill' Cage

Emily Blunt-Sergeant Rita Vrataski

Brendan Gleeson-General Brigham

Bill Paxton-Master Sergeant Farell Bartolome

Noah Taylor-Dr. Carter

Jonas Armstrong-Skinner

Tony Way-Kimmel

Kick Gurry-Griff

Franz Drameh-Ford

Dragomir Mrsic-Kuntz

Charlotte Riley-Nance

Masayoshi Haneda-Takeda

Lara Pulver-Karen Lord

Madeleine Mantock-Julie

Beth Goddard-Judith the Secretary

Terence Maynard-Cruel Sergeant

Directed by Doug Liman

Tom Cruise must die over and over again in order to battle an alien invasion in Doug Liman's "Edge of Tomorrow."

Note: Screened on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 (Red Carpet Premiere).

When I was in junior high school, my seventh-grade Spanish teacher co-opted a quote from rugby coach Larry Gelwix that said, 'Practice doesn't make perfect; practice makes permanent.' Wait a minute, isn't the saying simply, 'Practice makes perfect'? That's what we've been taught by our teachers and parents while growing up but the truth of the matter is that there are right ways and wrong ways of practicing. If you practice doing something the wrong way, that behavior eventually becomes ingrained and becomes hard to break out of. The point is to get it right the first time. If you've been doing the wrong thing over and over, than you have to recognize you're doing it wrong (whatever 'it' is) and make efforts to correct it.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done when you don't know what the heck you're doing in the first place and you're also in the midst of a freakin' alien invasion! That's the predicament Tom Cruise faces in his latest film "Edge of Tomorrow," directed by Doug Liman and based on the 2004 Japanese novella All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Ten years ago, a big-budget sci-fi action film starring Tom Cruise would be among the summer's guaranteed box office successes but times have changed. Nowadays, "Edge of Tomorrow" is the summer equivalent of a B-movie when compared to more highly-anticipated fare like the recently released "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and the upcoming "Transformers: Age of Extinction." Fortunately, there is a silver lining to all this. Although Cruise hasn't had a film gross over $100 million domestically since 2006's "Mission Impossible III" (the sole exception is ironically 2011's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"), he remains incredibly popular overseas. Even if Liman's film has a soft weekend debut in the U.S. despite stellar reviews, it can still break even and turn a profit via international box office receipts. That being said, I do hope audiences in the States go see "Edge of Tomorrow" because Liman's latest represents big-budget escapist entertainment done right. This is a film that remembers the key ingredient for a great summer blockbuster: actual fun.

Emily Blunt is badass as UDF Sergeant Rita Vrataski.

In the near future, an asteroid carrying a deadly alien race called 'The Mimics' have crashed into Europe and devastated much of the continent. After suffering massive casualties, humanity slowly turns the tide of the war thanks to the advent of high-tech exoskeleton suits that enable soldiers to survive longer on the battlefield. Many of the war's early victories are led by United Defense Force Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). With hundreds of Mimics killed by her hand, Vrataski becomes a potent symbol for the war effort. The day before the UDF launches their final assault to retake Europe at Verdun, France, Major William 'Bill' Cage (Tom Cruise) arrives in London to meet with General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson). Despite his rank, Cage is actually just a glorified military spokesperson and assumes that Brigham wants help with boosting his public image or preparing for a post-war political career. He couldn't be farther from the truth. What Brigham really wants is for Cage to be part of the first wave when the UDF land in Verdun in order to provide ground coverage for the media. Unfortunately, Cage has no combat experience. The Major attempts to weasel his way out by blackmailing Brigham but the General has Cage tased and arrested instead. Cage wakes up at the military base in Heathrow, with a fabricated background that says he is a deserter and con man. Demoted to Private, he is assigned to J-Squad and forced to participate in the assault at Verdun the next day. Although it was supposed to be a surprise attack, the Mimics appear to be fully prepared and slaughter the UDF's soldiers, including Cage. However, Cage doesn't die. He wakes up to discover he had just arrived in Heathrow…again. It soon dawns on him that he is trapped in some sort of time loop. Every time he dies, he wakes up at the beginning of the previous day and is forced to relive the same period of time over and over again. Cage tries to warn the other soldiers and save them but his efforts are in vain as the assault in Verdun always ends tragically. He finally finds an ally in Vrataski, who once had the same inexplicable power that he has. The two must now work together and stop the 'Omega,' the Mimic Overmind, if they are to escape the time loop and finally win the war.

Although it was made famous by Harold Ramis' 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, the idea of a person being trapped in a time loop is nothing new. It's a premise that's been used before in many films like 2011's "Source Code" and 2012's "Looper," as well as in a number of television shows such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The X-Files." Doug Liman's "Edge of Tomorrow" may be utilizing an overused concept but it manages to get a surprising amount of mileage out of its sci-fi, loop-de-loop conceit. The main risk of using a time loop as your plot device is that the repetition of events becomes, well, repetitive. Fortunately, the film avoids this by showing just enough of a scene to make it clear we're in another loop and then jumping ahead to where the changes occur. It keeps the momentum going and the pacing never lags thanks to James Herbert's pitch-perfect editing, allowing the two-hour running time to just breeze by. Written by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the script isn't particularly nuanced. While there's a thematic undercurrent revolving around the monotony and futility of war, Liman's main concern is in crafting a summer blockbuster that's first and foremost fun to watch—and boy, is it a lot of fun. The Verdun-set action scenes are quite spectacular and resemble a sci-fi version of "Saving Private Ryan." It also helps that the 3D lends a great sense of scope to this sprawling battlefield. I love the little details that Liman fills his film with, from the omnipresent propaganda posters to the exoskeleton suits being made in Japan, a clever reference to the source material's Japanese origins. Of course, the biggest asset that Liman has is Tom Cruise.

His career may never reach its mid-nineties peak of stardom again but the ever-youthful Cruise—who turns 52 this July—remains a phenomenal actor and continues to exhibit a consistent level of quality control in his genre work, something that's become all-too-rare in an era where the concept of the 'Movie Star' is in its death throes. Cruise has often had a habit of playing 'the hero' (with a few exceptions like 2004's "Collateral") but "Edge of Tomorrow" finds the actor portraying a different type of character: that of a coward. Dressed in full military garb, William 'Bill' Cage seems like a man that's experienced a lot of combat…until the story quickly reveals that he's just a glorified public relations officer. During his meeting with General Brigham, he remarks that he 'can't stand the sight of blood. Not so much as a paper cut.' Brigham however doesn't have time for Cage's chicken-sh*t ways and ships him off to the front lines when the Major tries to run away. Watching the character repeatedly die may feel like a morbid experience yet the film wrings quite a lot of laughs out of Cage's many deaths and resurrections. There's a training montage where Vrataski tries to whip Cage into shape before the assault on Verdun begins. Of course, he repeatedly suffers injuries since he has no combat experience whatsoever. Whenever he becomes injured, Vrataski asks him to 'try again' and resets the day by mercilessly shooting Cage point-blank in the face. The humor comes from the constant exasperation on Cruise's face whenever he makes a mistake. It's not all fun and games however as the writers balance the humor with moments of hopelessness every time the day is reset. We laugh when Cage displays an uncanny amount of foreknowledge to the puzzlement of everyone around him or cheaply dies from rolling too slow under a jeep but neither does the film shy away from the emotional toll of repeatedly dying. Having infinite second chances also means infinite amounts of failure. Cruise sells the smarmy and buried everyman decency of his character for all its worth and if nothing else, "Edge of Tomorrow" serves as a reminder of why he's still one of the biggest, if not the biggest, movie star in the world.

In term's of pure fun factor, "Edge of Tomorrow" stands heads and shoulders above other summer blockbusters.

Cruise is aided by a fantastic supporting cast. As no-nonsense warrior Rita Vrataski, Emily Blunt's performance recalls Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor but she also lends this badass character an emotional vulnerability, without making Vrataski seem weak or pathetic. In a refreshing change of pace, the romance between her and Cage is largely downplayed and left up in the air. Cage develops feelings for her with each reset but to Vrataski, he is always a stranger. Bill Paxton gleefully chews the scenery with his gung-ho machismo as Master Sergeant Farell Bartolome while Brendan Gleeson lends General Brigham a smug sense of authority despite his role being a glorified cameo.

To be released on June 6, 2014, "Edge of Tomorrow" has received outstanding reviews so far with 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as a 'gripping, well-acted, funny, and clever [film that] offers entertaining proof that Tom Cruise is still more than capable of shouldering the weight of a blockbuster action thriller.' It's a good thing the film is receiving such excellent reviews because it needs every advantage it can get at the box office. Initial tracking is predicting a solid $30 million weekend debut but it should be doing a lot better given its prime summer release date and extensive marketing campaign. Tom Cruise's appeal remains strong around the world so international receipts will pick up the slack. There have been plenty of great films released so far this summer but in terms of pure fun factor, "Edge of Tomorrow" stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Maybe Michael Bay should start taking some notes from Mr. Liman.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

"They want to conquer the rest of the world…unless you change the outcome."