Edge of Tomorrowby Wilson Morales
How many sci-fi films can one see and notice something that they have seen before. Whether it’s a plot, setting or an action scene, it’s rare to find originality in this genre these days. But if you adapt or re-imagine a scenario and with good writing, then giving the audience something familiar can be a blessing. With a reference to several films of the past, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt successfully make everything old, new again in the ‘Edge of Tomorrow.’ Throughout the film, the story never runs out of steam, which should please and entertain audiences.
Adapting Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s Japanese novel, ” All You Need is Kill,” Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, a egotistical individual who loves to talk about the war and help recruit soldiers but has never seen combat first hand. As a former owner of an ad agency, his strengths lies in dealing with the media and being their spokesperson on TV or anywhere else. That all changes when he goes to London where he’s surprisingly and reluctantly gets thrown into the heart of the battlefield, against some aliens with machine-like appearances, by General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson).
Initially resisting his new duties, Cage is handed over to Master Sgt. Farell, who has no worries about Cage’s lack of training. With no time on their hands, Cage is set to fight in the front lines the following day and when that day arrives, he’s dead with minutes of arrival.
But a funny thing happened before he died. His death came at the hands of an alien and in killing the alien right before his own death, he was somehow infected with its DNA that gives him the ability to relive the day over and over each time he’s killed. There’s no one to believe his story except for one person, the iconic Special Ops Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who’s not only the world’s best warrior, but she took the the bull by the horns on her first combat.
Together, and with some training that requires Cage to live, repeat, and die several times before they know how exactly to defeat the enemy, the two souls have little time to waste as the aliens are also able to adapt or sense what’s next from the humans.
Written by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the story has some freshness to it, although there are undeniable nods to ‘Groundhog Day,’ ‘Starship Troopers,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ Battle LA,’ ‘The Matrix,’ and several other sci-fi. Yet, while one an avid film goer knows what films they can reference certain scenes from, the changes that Cage goes through in the film keeps the film intriguing and away from being derivative.
Cruise is no stranger to the sci-fi world. From ‘Minority Report’ to ‘Oblivion,’ he gives his all to the story. The one thing you never see in his films is his role being one-dimensional and that’s part of the lure to ‘Edge.’ Throughout the action scenes, we can see his character evolve from what he started out in the beginning. As much we go in knowing and assuming that humans will prevail in their war with the aliens, you still need a genuine reason to root for it lead characters. It also helps that Blunt equals Cruise in the kick-ass department. Who knows if Rita is a descendent of Alien’s Ripley, but Blunt makes sure that Rita was not the typical female one sees in these films where they see no action and wait in the wings til its over. In every way, she’s just as much as the other half of the film as opposed to Cruise to being the sole protagonist.
While Cruise is the marquee name to sell the film, it’s really the both of them that make ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ one of this summer’s best entries.
