Edge of Tomorrow

Another summer blockbuster I missed out on last year and one I have finally got around to seeing; the smart, slick and steely sci-fi action romp Edge of Tomorrow.

The indomitable Tom Cruise strolls right into yet another action flick again, but straight away there's a difference, as this time he plays a character who starts out as a completely inept solider, thrust into a futuristic war against savage and tactically brilliant aliens. Another twist? He is quickly given the ability to "reset the day", living out the same massacre over and over, and tasked with ending the war and saving humanity.

It was fairly obvious that this was not going to be a sci-fi version of Ethan Hunt for Cruise. But he is still more than capable of holding is own leading an action film. In Edge of Tomorrow he brings ample amount of his signature flair and grit when it comes to action, and charm and charisma when it does not. It has been known for decades that Tom Cruise is one of the most bankable movie stars of all time, and this film does not detract from that; merely adding another feather to his already well stocked cap.

Emily Blunt plays opposite him as a feisty yet war-weary battlefield hero who has to take Cruise and train him into as much of an ass kicker as she is.

Once again I am happy to say I enjoyed a strong performance. This was Emily Blunt's first real foray into sci-fi action and she came out of it very well. Avoiding most clichés, and delivering her own unique brand of action, deliverance and watchability.

Whilst Blunt, like Cruise gave a very solid performance, the chemistry between the two of them whilst there, was played down and often played out very lightly. This benefited and fitted well with the feel of the film, because I think if anything more was inferred or looked at then the light dusting of chemistry may have turned into no chemistry at all. Still, as it is it still worked, and the leading twosome provided great watching.

We even had welcome supporting performances from the likes of Brendan Gleeson and Bill Paxton.

There have of course been legions of alien invasion films in the past (a couple of them even starring Mr. Cruise too) but this one I think has the potential to stand out within the canon. It was near future, but that was not spelled out immediately, and the fantastical and supernatural elements were threaded into a world we might recognize with seamless and often beautiful results.  The material, action and scenery were all visceral and powerfully used to support the cast, and whilst we had to watch a bit of a lengthy set up initially, this was needed and indeed appreciated as it meant there was no real problem in terms of the film's believability. Add to that the slick, and ingeniously and regularly revitalized time looming element and you are on to a winner.

My only major complaint is the film's ending. I wont spoil it but suffice ed to say that, after all the living and dying and repeating, we were finally given a conclusion but an incredibly ambiguous one. They may have done it to possibly set up a sequel, or just to keep in touch with the light hearted undercurrent of the whole film, but the lack of concrete resolution right at the end was quite shocking indeed.

Nevertheless - original, well conceived and well executed. Edge of Tomorrow really does keep you on the edge of your seat, and in the end just plainly and simply delivers two hours of raw, epic and intrinsic action, with just enough heart to keep things interesting.