Edge of Tomorrow Review
Director - Doug Liman Release Date - May 30th 2014 Stars - Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt An officer finds himself caught in a time loop in a war with an alien race. His skills increase as he faces the same brutal combat scenarios, and his union with a Special Forces warrior gets him closer and closer to defeating the enemy. Review Going into this film my expectations were not as high as they probably should have been, (as has been stated by many reviewers before me) the trailer reminded me of Oblivion, which I had come out of thinking it was very mediocre. This film however exceeded all expectations I had and was a genuine joy to watch. Tom Cruise's latest delve into the sci-fi genre is a movie that on paper should not be entertaining. Watching to a large degree the same event unfold over and over again, with minor changes, would in the hands of most directors not be something that entertains the audience for any extended period of time. However Doug Liman does such a fantastic job of implementing small but noticeable changes each time we come back to the scene that helped engage the audience. These changes also made for very comedic aspects to the film, as well as delivering stunning visuals and wide landscape shots of the ensuing battle which really helped to explore the epic feel of the film. No matter how you feel about the man's personal life, love him or hate him, he really helps this film. Not only by bringing the star power that he has proved time and time again that he has, but also through his acting ability. Cruise takes on a different role than many would suspect in this film and it only goes to serve his credentials as an accomplished actor. Emily Blunt is also fantastic as the female lead in the film and the chemistry she builds with Cruise throughout the film works very well, helping to build a believable comradeship between them. Whilst the supporting cast is few and far between, especially in terms of their screen time until the final third of the film, they still manage to hold their own and deliver solid performances. Whilst the film isn't perfect, I would have liked a better ending, it is a fantastic cinema experience that really hits hard when it matters, causing you to fall in love with these characters that you're seeing go through such hardship time and time again. Unfortunately the film hasn't performed as well at the box office as many would have liked, and that is a real shame as the current trend in Hollywood has seen it become incredibly difficult to find the funding for an original film property, whereas Prequels, Sequels, Spin-offs and reboots are coming through the flood gates. Which makes it hurt even more when an original property (To a large extent, it is based on a manga call All you Need is Kill) such as this one doesn't do well at the box office, as not only does the film not receive the recognition it deserves but it also distances studios further from wanting to make them. Overall Edge of Tomorrow is a film that I encourage each and every one of you to go a watch, not just in support of an original film but in support of a film that is actually really good. Final Score - 8/10