‘Edge of Tomorrow’ Review: Tom Cruise Plays On Repeat

By Carlos Aguilar.

Jaded by what countless misguided opportunities have shown us, we’ve learned not to wish for much in a movie starring Tom Cruise. No one can be judged for having lower expectations each time around.  Surprisingly, the man proclaimed as the biggest movie star in the world – hard to pinpoint who awarded him that title – and who’s also the infamous poster child for a certain celebrity-friendly metaphysical religion, has actually proven us wrong in this occasion, partially at least. Redundant Science Fiction has a way of becoming obsolete unbelievably fast, but there is still hope for a good blockbuster this summer, and it might as well come from the most unlikely of places.

Once again roaming around in a futuristic setting, Mr. Cruise stars in “Edge of Tomorrow” as the cowardly charismatic Major William Cage. As expected, an alien race has invaded the Earth and their goal is to eradicate humanity to fulfill their vicious, unknown, purpose. Cage is not a hero in the conventional Mission Impossible-way. This guy is not a soldier. He has no combat training, and is noticeably terrified. His superior decides to send him to the front line, a mission for which he is not prepared. Cage knows this will mean instant death. He joins J-Squad -essentially a band of misfits – and he is thrown into battle without even knowing how to handle his gun to kill the unfriendly “Mimics.” Once on the battlefield Cage’s strategy is to run for his life. Since it wouldn’t be all that compelling to see the protagonist perish in the first 15 minutes, the film comes with its very own mechanics to elongate his life.

Caught in the crossfire, Cage is about to be killed by one of the foreign creatures (which happen to look like mechanical octopuses), when suddenly he releases the safety on his gun and shoots it dead. He is covered in the alien’s blue blood, and though eventually he dies, he wakes up exactly at the beginning of that day. From now on every time Cage dies, he must relive the same day over and over until he figures out how to stop his repetitive immortality or the humans win the war. A stranger to gigantically budgeted Hollywood popcorn flicks until now, Emily Blunt plays Rita Vrataski, the finest soldier in the world. As everyone can infer just from looking at the poster – this is not a spoiler- she will eventually become the love interest. But to get there they must first get to know each other numerous times for the first time a la “50 First Dates” but with filtered through epic VFX.

Unexpected bits of humor embellish the simple premise of alien vs. human warfare replayed dozens of times. Each chance that Cruise gets to relive his failures, he uses it to improve and gain knowledge as to not to make the same mistake again. Of course this inevitably connects to us mortals who wake up every morning hoping for the new day to be better. In this post-invasion setting the stakes are exponentially higher but the concept of constant improvement remains intact. Easily digestible existentialism in the form of video game-inspired endless lives is not what a film like this usually offers, but this one does and it fairly successful at it. Given the chance to go back to a certain point in their life, would people really try to change for the better? Is there something strangely exciting about human mortality and the ephemeral nature of life? Not sure, but no one can be prepared to delve into philosophy while A-listers crush aliens in a loop.

Hard to argue against Tom Cruise’s charm, which is one of the reasons “Edge of Tomorrow” works. There is not an ounce of reinvention in his performance, he has it down to a science, but for the types of projects he is interested it, it should suffice. It gives the man another chance to sign autographs, take selfies with fans, and stay mildly relevant in the business. For Ms. Blunt this can be a game changer. She is tough and attractive in a Lara Croft sort of way and manages to give the hero an extra something to fight for. Amusing, all around entertaining, and definitely more intelligent than the usual fare, “Edge of Tomorrow” will keep Cruise in his invisible throne as Hollywood royalty. Live, die, repeat, if those are the only choices, why not spend the rest of time fighting fluorescent monsters. Your XBOX has already trained you.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is now in theaters nationwide.