Although this Summer has already produced 3 critically acclaimed big budget blockbusters (CAPTAIN AMERICA: TWS, GODZILLA, X-MEN: DOFP) early reviews coming in report that the new Sci-Fi film "EDGE OF TOMORROW" starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt is a good movie/time at the movies.
"...the most purely pleasurable film Doug Liman has directed in the 12 years since “The Bourne Identity.”
"Although he’s initially slick and confident, qualities the actor could embody in his sleep (and probably does), Cage is soon revealed as a hopeless, ineffectual soldier trying to stay alive, and Cruise embodies this struggle with a refreshing lack of vanity that makes his eventual awesomeness — the product of endless drilling supervised by a merciless Rita — feel genuinely earned, rather than a foregone conclusion."
"Blunt is alert, energized and emotionally present in a none-too-taxing role; while a bit more action for Rita would not have gone awry, the pleasure of “Edge of Tomorrow” is that it’s not an action movie first and foremost, but rather a cheeky little puzzle picture in expensive-looking blockbuster drag. The excellent production package is distinguished by the expertly designed Mimics, which resemble overgrown, radioactive crustaceans that got caught in an oil spill, as well as by the anamorphic 35mm work of d.p. Dion Beebe, who shot Cruise so memorably in “Collateral"
"The screenplay was adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s much-lauded 2004 novel “All You Need Is Kill” by Christopher McQuarrie, who knows his way around a mind-bending mystery scenario (“The Usual Suspects”), and by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who previously worked with Liman on “Fair Game.” Crucially, the scribes have solved the problem of how not to make the film play like a repetitive slog; aided enormously by James Herbert and Laura Jennings’ snappy, intuitive editing, they tell their story in a breezy narrative shorthand (and at times, sleight-of-hand), transforming what must surely be an unbelievably tedious gauntlet for our hero into a deft, playful and continually involving viewing experience. Among other things, “Edge of Tomorrow” is a movie that slyly teaches you how to watch it."
"I am sick and tired of watching Tom Cruise punching bad guys and riding a motorcycle. Sick of it. The latest crop of Cruise films have all been some sort of meandering variation of this. Well, NOT ANYMORE. Edge of Tomorrow is delivering quality, Jerry Maguire-level Cruise. A lot of this is due to the fact that the character Cruise is playing (Cage) is a coward, but a smart coward."
"Blunt rolls in as the much hyped super-soldier Rita, whose fight at a past battle set her up as a Victory Symbol. How did she kill so many aliens? She was also blessed with the same alien repeater thing that Cage has, and naturally she becomes Cage's ally. Together, they kill a lot of aliens. And each other. A lot. Rita is a great female heroine, mainly because she doesn't have time for anything other than her job. She is a soldier, and she's smart. Yes, of course she's a love interest but it is tucked away in the third act. The weight of her time on-screen is spent trying to kill aliens and be smart with the repeater gift that Cage was given. Even when she finds herself connecting with Cage, the second she gets the hint that they're going off-mission she pulls them back in the right direction. She's tough, built like a brick shit house, and she gets to shoot Tom Cruise in the head like 45 times. It's amazing. Cage may be the pizzazz, but Rita is the brawn. She's also wonderfully multidimensional, and you can see damage her time stuck in the cycling days did damage."
"Yes, we repeat the same day over and over. Yes, Cage gets really good at calling shots and knowing when things are coming (make a left now, shoot here). But Edge of Tomorrow is very much plotted out like a videogame (in a great way). You have tasks that have to be accomplished. And when Cage accomplishes them, he learns something new. Then we take off from that spot. When he fails, it's like failing at a level. We very rarely go back and watch the whole thing all over again, and it certainly doesn't all take place at this singular battle. When Cage gets information he can use and dies, he and Rita move forward.
This is mostly due to the high pacing that director Doug Liman set. Clearly this man knows how to make an action movie, he established this with his long, successful run directing the Bourne franchise. Liman brings the breakneck (NON SHAKYCAM), information gathering speed with him to Edge of Tomorrow. And it works."
"Edge of Tomorrow is just a goddamn delight. I felt alive and pumped when I left the theater, so did the other batch of critics who followed me. I want to see it again, right now. You will have fun."
Seems that this movie is a great Sci-Fi action fest, but with such a crowded film slate still full of potential heavy hitters does "EDGE OF TOMORROW" have what takes to make it at the box-office?
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