Edge of Tomorrow Movie Review

In modern cinema science fiction films can be organised into two categories; those which manage to be thought provoking and interesting, and those which skip on development in favour of mindless action. Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise’s latest foray into the genre is thankfully part of the former, with its unique take on futuristic warfare.

Lightly inspired by and adapted from Japanese novel “All you need is kill” Edge of Tomorrow takes place in the not-too-distant future, where mankind is under attack from a species of extra-terrestrials known as mimics, who have overrun Europe. The combined armies of the United Defence Forces with their advanced military exoskeletons aim to push back with the beaches of France serving as the main frontline. From here we’re introduced to Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a propaganda officer who is thrust into combat with no knowledge of experience of infantry combat whatsoever; Cage is quickly killed by the rampaging monsters, but something is amiss as he wakes up and experiences the same day of brutal combat over and over again. From here, the film loops over sequences and then progresses further as Cage, along with the fabled Seargent Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to unravel the mystery and outwit the Mimics before it’s too late. While the film’s repeating of the initial action scene may seem like a waste of run time, the film uses it sparingly to hammer home the strange and baffling situation Cage and Vrataski find themselves in and this technique is wisely cut down to avoid tedium for the later parts of the movie. Over the course of their mission across France and rural Europe, the dynamic duo teams up with an inquisitive scientist (Noah Taylor) and eventually a rag tag squad of soldiers to take on the alien menace. If there’s one gripe with the plot, it’s that the mimics don’t really get a lot of backstory and explanation; the mystery surrounding their hierarchy and the way they fight is well done, but we never learn much about where they came from, or why they are attacking humanity.

Of course a plot this complex wouldn’t work too well without solid characters and the cast of Edge of Tomorrow pulls off this feat quite well. It’s a welcomed change of pace to see Tom Cruise in a more vulnerable role this time around; rather than the usual tough guy we usually see Cruise play, here he really needs to go through proper development to become the one to stop the Mimics. Emily Blunt as Rita stands as the opposite; a strong-willed and powerful leading lady who assists and trains Cage, rather than the other way around. The relationship between the two is well developed and builds naturally over the course of the film as both characters are distracted from their attachment to each other by the mission at hand, and the grim consequences for failure. In other roles, Bill Paxton as the drill sergeant is surprisingly charismatic, despite the small role he has in the film. Though the other characters aren’t as well rounded or developed enough to make you care about their fates, the film nonetheless delivers where it counts in terms of characterization.

Edge of Tomorrow’s bombastic action sequences can be very disorienting; whilst the exoskeletons seem cumbersome at first, they quickly come into their own on the battlefields of Europe. During the action, the camera does shake quite frequently but in this case, it adds to the disorientation and visceral nature of the combat. The music matches this mood, with gritty tones and echoing sound effects during the combat, contrasted against more sombre tracks in the film’s final moments. In addition to the strong technical presentation, there’s also some great looking stunt work from Cruise and Blunt, which heightens the intensity further. The Mimic designs are also quite unique; the creatures seem to be made up of coils and other machinery pulsing with electrical energy; this gives way to some particularly stunning lighting effects in the film’s final act. As far as science fiction films go, Edge of Tomorrow does a fine job with its effects, working to absorb the viewer in the fires of battle wherever possible.

At first glance Edge of Tomorrow seems like another generic science fiction film, but the complexity of the plot made possible by the bending of time really does add some much needed spice to a crowded genre. If you’re willing to engage your mind, this is one science fiction war worth plunging into.

Rating: 4/5 Stars