Edge of Tomorrow

Film Review by Ekow Daniels

Edge of Tomorrow is one of those rare summer tentpole movies that actually exceeds all expectations. Well mine, at least. Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel 'All You Need is Kill', it boasts an exceptionally well-crafted screenplay by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, which is unusual given that most films with multiple writers that go through endless iterations normally end up too confused to hit the mark. 

Doug Liman ('Go', 'Bourne Identity, 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' and 'Jumper') who, despite those last three efforts, isn't a natural action director outdoes himself at the helm. He's worked hard to get here. His installment of the Bourne trilogy was his first taste of hard-core action and served as a nice layup for Paul Greengrass' superior episodes. 'Mr. And Mrs. Smith' was a slick, darkly funny treatise on marriage dressed up as a battle of wits between assassins and 'Jumper' proved he was capable of handling science fiction. In his latest, he puts it all together seamlessly. 

Strictly speaking, it's more a time-relapse movie a'la 'Groundhog Day' or 'Source Code' than a time travel movie such as 'Back to the Future.' In other words, stepping back in time is more accidental than intended. The failure of most sci-fi, time-related movies lies in the way the filmmakers handle the rules of the phenomenon. Too often, there are too many and they are over-complicated. Liman manages to keep them simple and consistent. What the movie lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in intensity and excitement. In the hands of a lesser director, the central conceit would have worn out its welcome after the 5th go around. Like Harold Ramis, Liman keeps it fresh, funny and clever. 

Whatever you think of Cruise's off-screen shenanigans, he remains a true star and a seriously underrated actor. With only a few exceptions ('Far and Away' and 'Days of Thunder') for over 20 years, he has delivered some finely-calibrated performance and he does so again here. The rest of the principal cast is uniformly excellent. Emily Blunt (Looper) firmly establishes her rising star status and Brendan Gleeson (Troy) again proves he can send a chill down your spine with little more than a smile. The story upends Cruise's fearless hero persona to great comic effect by starting him off as a glib and insouciant coward who slowly becomes an efficient, battle-hardened warrior, although it takes this cat more than 9 lives to get there. All said and done, 'Edge of Tomorrow' is a smart, wildly entertaining ride well worth the price of admission.

Overall rating: 4/5

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