Review of Edge of Tomorrow (2014) by Dillinger P — 23 Feb 2015

Action films, although were used to them in abundance since the 80's, are a great form of entertainment. A good action blockbuster, injects you with so much adrenaline that by the time the end credits roll, your gasping for breath.

Not something you see often these days, however films like The Raid, James Bond and Onk Bak lay testament to just how intense you can feel, watching a movie. What these films pride themselves on are wonderful choreography, well shot sequences and of course characters we give a toss about.

Having a protagonist being flung around, on screen, no stunt men and caring about the outcome is a rarity these days. Much to my surprise, Edge Of Tomorrow pretty much delivers on a whole host of levels, ultimately falling short on few cliche but giving us a gasping for air experience.

After what seems to be an Alien invasion on planet earth, in the not too distant future, world powers begin to create mech suits, enhancing soldiers potential on the battlefield, turning them into a form of super soldier shall we say.

Major Cage, does a round of publicity to advertise and sell the war, which he strongly believes the human race will win, with this new technology. Cage soon finds out that he has in deed been duped and is framed and forced into the armies invasion of France, to help with some propaganda, the invasion should go down a treat and thus ensure that the human race stands a chance against the invasion.

Only everything that can go wrong does go wrong, leaving Cage one of the few men left, paired with Rita a bad ass soldier nicknamed Full Metal Bitch, to fight the war, not with the mechs but with an entirely new and unknown way of thinking.

I have essentially summed up the opening 30 minutes here and to go any further will ruin, all enjoyment and surprise. First off, the story is a lot more intricate and well placed out than it first appears, in fact when the film does shake it up, it does so using humour and some out of this world editing, to craft an experience the film really thrives on.

It's also not afraid to build on these ideas somewhat and you as a viewer soon become as lost as some of the characters down to some sterling production work. The screenplay co written by Christopher MacQuarrie is decent and hilarious.

It is also, underneath its complex skin, simple. It doesnt try too hard to be intelligent, it does however rely on us caring about our characters. Of course who better to fit the criteria than Tom Cruise, like him or loath him, the man is charismatic, enthusiastic and more importantly 110% involved in everything he does.

That means when Doug Liman comes to film the action scenes, we are actually seeing Tom running, jumping, being battered left right and centre, constantly all in a mix of practical and CGI which works strangely to great effect.

Emily Blunt plays Rita and although not the greatest female character committed to cinema, she is bad ass, with a touch of human about her. This makes for a very strong female lead and a breath of fresh air to see a woman kicking the seven shades of shit out of an alien race.

The film jumps through hoops to heighten this by making Cruise the weaker one at first and having Blunt take on alien mechs with a sword. The rest of the cast sadly, minus Noah Taylor, is just kind of.

.. Well, there! The grunts are grunts, Bredan Gleeson is paper thin and Bill Paxton puts in an admirable effort, however due to the frantic and repetitive nature the film requires, Paxton soon outstays his welcome.

Luckily the lead roles are the meat of the piece and both actors hurtle their way towards the finish line all guns blazing. The action sequences themselves are pounding, shocking at first but soon becoming almost like a video game, in the extent in which it becomes so overwhelming we the audience find ourselves at the edge of our seat, never mind tomorrow.

The film uses a vast array of practical effects and it pays off massively, allowing the CGI to become allowable. The wars are bold and wild, almost like a CGI littered version of Saving Private Ryan's opening moments.

The film of course has some rather annoying dips, which stop this film short of being a wonder. First of all the ending loses its testicular fortitude for a more happy joy, joy ending, which just ruins any tension and sacrifice brilliantly crafted in the scenes leading up to it.

The film also hurtles are such a speed that, it takes you quite some time to catch up, your not grounded very well as you start of the journey, leaving you completely disorientated, before finding your bearings.

I would go as far to say an effect used to help relate to Cage but he at least has a clue about what is going on prior to the invasion. The film also dips here and there, showing promise with other arcs and not taking them, leaving you scratching your head and asking the question what if.

Aside the rushed beginning, chicken shit ending and a few pot holes along the way, the movie is consistant and brilliant. It wont win any awards, although the editing team surely deserve to work in cinema for the rest of time, but it is a fast and furious action/sci fi flick, with huge amounts to offer, even a laugh here and there.