Edge of Tomorrow: The Blockbuster of Summer

Edge of Tomorrow is an incredibly fun summer blockbuster that juggles humor, action and character. It brings an intelligent boom to a crowded science fiction genre and sets itself apart through actual excitement.  On the surface the novel adaptation could easily be described as Groundhog Day with aliens. However, it becomes its own beast and features the best Tom Cruise performance in years.

Doug Liman has developed an interesting on-set reputation throughout the years. However, the Swingers, Go, Jumper, Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith  director has a knack for infusing action with humor and bringing out the best in his actors. Liman redefined action with Bourne, helped facilitate enormous chemistry between Jolie/Pitt and allowed swing music to make a brief comeback. That is why I had faith he could take a familiar premise and spin it into gold.

Edge of Tomorrow stays fresh even as Cruise’s character keeps expiring. Liman and his writers did a great job of flipping the Cruise persona by turning him into an a-hole advertising executive. The opening scene is perfect as Tom Cruise uses his big smile and cocky demeanor in an attempt to blackmail his way out of a massive air/land battle in France. Things go bad, he gets arrested, Bill Paxton’s Master Sergeant rips him a new one and he proceeds to die a lot. It was fun watching a bratty Cruise act like a weasel after his “toughest man on the planet” performance in Jack Reacher. Cruise’s follies in training and figuring out the time loop are genuinely funny and unexpected.

Who is Cruise battling on the beach? They are called mimics and they are spreading their way through Europe in an effort to kill humanity. They are sneaky and murderous jerks who have no problem dismantling a platoon in seconds. Of course, there is an alpha who controls them all and it becomes Cruise’s mission to kill it. He eventually joins up with a famed soldier played by Emily Blunt. She also got stuck in a time loop and she uses him to finish what she started.

Liman finally uses Blunt’s talents appropriately and she makes a fine foil and believable Full Metal B*tch. It made me happy that Blunt wasn’t just playing another “lady” role. Cruises last two films Oblivion and Reacher squandered the talents of Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko and Rosamund Pike. In Edge of Tomorrow Blunt isn’t the love interest or random woman in need of help. She is a badass who has been there and done that. Also, she is in cobra pose a lot……

The two develop a believable chemistry and navigate the tricky world of destroying a race of deadly aliens together. The training montages are fantastic and allow Tom Cruise to be goofy and fallible.  Bill Paxton gets some great lines and is clearly having a blast with his character (No, I am from Kentucky). Most importantly, you become invested in the story. When you like the characters the action means something. You are able to forget that Tom Cruise is running around a Groundhog Day scenario whilst in an exo-suit.

Doug Liman has managed to make an intelligent video game that brings the action and laughs. Edge of Tomorrow is a perfect summer film that will eventually find an audience. Watch it. Recommend it. Watch it again.