Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 113 minutes
Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda, Tony Way, Noah Taylor
KRS release
The film is an adaptation of the Japanese light novel All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. A light novel is usually a very short novel, often with illustrations aimed at young adults, but director Doug Liman (Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity and Mr & Mrs Smith) delivers a cinematic and breathtaking spectacle. This brilliant sci-fi military thriller brings together elements from Groundhog Day, Starship Troopers and Source Code and yet has its own identity.
In fact, even though Tom Cruise plays the character, it is evident that he is not the driving force of the movie. It’s the way the events come together and the way the film puts its protagonists and its audience through their paces that propel the film forward.
Having said this, by putting himself at the service of the director, Cruise delivers one of his better pictures of late.
This world we are propelled into is under attack by an alien race known as Mimics and is being defended by the United Defence Force. Major William Cage (Cruise) is not a fighter, he is just a spokesperson. To his surprise General Bingham (Brendan Gleeson) forces him to go into action.
The battle takes place on a French beach where the humans are literally torn apart by the Mimics in a scene reminiscent of Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan but not as harsh. Everyone dies, even Rita (Emily Blunt), the star soldier of earth’s defence force.
Cage acquits himself well and he manages to kill one Mimic who is bigger than the rest but ends up dead, covered with the alien’s blood. As a result, he ends up waking once again on the same day and starts to relive it over and over again. Soon he begins to learn new things and, with Rita’s help, also starts to see what may lie behind the endless repetition of this particular day.
As he has shown in decades of making movies, Cruise can be charismatic and forceful. Here he plays it slick and cool at the start and then is given the chance to show off his acting chops by being clueless in action, which he does quite well. He approaches the film without any star pretensions and is credible and this benefits both him and the film.
Under Liman’s deft hand, the film weaves and melds excellently between its storylines
Blunt’s character is a driving force, and she carries her role well. She is the perfect embodiment of the action heroine as usually embodied in Japanese anime movies. Gleeson is a hoot.
The film’s special effects are well rounded, with the Mimics brought flawlessly on-screen. The film also looks good as Dion Beebe, who had collaborated with Cruise in Collateral, builds an incredible palette of greys, blues and browns, all tinged with a metallic hue that adds to the military sheen of the movie.
Structurally, the film takes the Groundhog Day template and runs away with it. When Cruise’s character starts to discover what there is beneath all this mayhem, the film takes its leap into the unknown and delves into thriller territory.
Under Liman’s deft hand, the film weaves and melds excellently between its storylines, and through clever editing makes for an easy and very accessible viewing experience.
This is one of the films with elements of time travel in it that is not overtly complicated, and everything seems to make sense and fall into place.