Another summer blockbuster season's upon us, cluttered with the usual franchise noise. Loosely based on a manga, Edge of Tomorrow (2014) provides a sci-fi riff on Groundhog Day - which would be promising if we hadn't seen Source Code three years back. It's a slickly produced blockbuster that, if nothing else, lacks superheroes, robots and angsty YA heroines.In the near-future Earth gets invaded by Mimics, a destructive alien race who overrun Europe. Smarmy press officer Major Cage (Tom Cruise) is assigned to join an invasion of Europe. The invasion goes awry and Cage gets killed, but something happens to revive him. He's reliving the day over and over again, unable to avert catastrophe. Eventually he meets Sergeant Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a war hero who used to share Cage's availability. The two work to unravel the secret of the Mimics and win the war.
Don't go into Edge of Tomorrow for cutting-edge storytelling. It's a generic alien invasion plot mixed with a generic time looping plot, neither fresher when combined. The Mimics come from a long line of aliens advanced enough for interplanetary travel, but who've nothing better to do than wreck stuff. Admittedly, the looping plot works well for most Edge's length and Cage and Vrataski's chemistry sells the cliched romance. Then Liman discards plot logic for a happy ending as arbitrary as it is stupid.
But Edge of Tomorrow delivers plenty of thrills. The battle scenes are as thrilling CGI alien slugfests can be, with Liman at least providing variety and tactical sense. The script provides plenty of humor, giving supporting players like Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton) the best lines. The pacing is crisp, the leads likeable and the action exciting. It's well-crafted junk food.
Tom Cruise gets plays his usual "cocky snot who learns humility" archetype, which he should have retired with Top Gun. Emily Blunt's much more appealing, ditching her refined sass for kick-butt action. Bill Paxton (near-unrecognizable) plays the lovably vulgar Sergeant and Brendan Gleeson a hardass general.
Edge of Tomorrow's a respectable summer blockbuster. In the end it's less Groundhog Day than live action video game, its lead re-spawning after each kill for another round. At least it's one you won't regret seeing.
