Review of Edge of Tomorrow (2014) by Seth S — 28 Jan 2015

We have our victor for "Most Metal Movie of the Year." Last year, Pacific Rim took the prize. I didn't particularly care for that movie on a whole, but there's no denying the spectacular moments of gear cranking and iron crunching. Edge of Tomorrow is the movie that Pacific Rim tried to be, a thrilling, funny, emotional, and (as I said) metal action movie.

It takes a while to get going, granted. The first twenty minutes of this movie feature a lot of table setting. It's not uninteresting, it simply failed to grip me right out of the gate. But once the first action scene hits, the movie definitely kicks things up a notch. And once Rita starts training Cage, the movie takes off and never looks back!

The thing that popped out most is the visual style. The movie knows exactly what it wants to do, thanks to confident direction by Doug Liman. The Mimics look incredible. The Mech Suits are awesome. The battle scenes are terrifically put together and riveting from the word "go". Multiple times throughout the movie, I was reminded that Liman could make a pretty fantastic Halo movie, if given the chance.

The performances are top notch. Every single time I see a Tom Cruise movie, I like him more! With Oblivion last year, and Edge of Tomorrow in 2014, I think Cruise should make a Sci-Fi movie every year. They may not be box office smashes, but both of these movies are in my favorites for their respective years. Tom Cruise remains one of the best current action stars, he's a marvel! Emily Blunt is also fantastic, giving Rita a layer or two extra than what is generally expected from these sorts of characters. Bill Paxton has a lot of fun with his supporting performance. Also, look for Tom Hardy's wife, Charlotte Riley, in a smaller role as Nance.

The main problem I had with the movie is, toward the end, the story gets more and more predictable. Plus, the ending itself is a bit hazy. Also, the movie fails to have an overreaching dramatic arc with the characters. It's an immensely enjoyable movie, but it doesn't say anything about a larger picture.

Edge of Tomorrow is, admittedly, a tad overrated. But as a summer action movie, we could do infinitely worse. If only a handful of movies like this (original ideas turned into terrific movies) were released every summer, our cinema landscape would be a whole lot more encouraging.

"Come find me when you wake up." 8/10.