Plot
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.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 8.1/10 (12,518 voted)
Critic's Score: 68/100
Director: Doug Liman
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Storyline
An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth
Cast: Tom Cruise -
Cage
Emily Blunt -
Rita
Brendan Gleeson -
General Brigham
Bill Paxton -
Master Sergeant Farell
Jonas Armstrong -
Skinner
Tony Way -
Kimmel
Kick Gurry -
Griff
Franz Drameh -
Ford
Dragomir Mrsic -
Kuntz
Charlotte Riley -
Nance
Masayoshi Haneda -
Takeda
Terence Maynard -
Cruel Sergeant
Noah Taylor -
Dr. Carter
Lara Pulver -
Karen Lord
Madeleine Mantock -
Julie
Filming Locations: Leavesden Studios, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Jeremy Piven's character was added during re-shoots and ended up on the cutting room floor. See more »
Goofs:
As Cage falls from the plane to the battle on the beach, the glass on his helmet is visible and then disappears again. See more »
Quotes:
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User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
Wow - this was unexpected. The trailers had me believe that after
'Battle L.A.' and 'Oblivion' this would be yet another bleak, action-
packed, special effects driven Sci-Fi blockbuster about an alien
invasion - what the trailers failed to convey almost entirely is that
over long stretches, this is also seasoned with nearly as much humor as
'Groundhog Day'. That it would invite comparisons with the Harold
Ramis/ Bill Murray classic was obvious, given the time loop premise,
but I never expected to what extent those comparisons would actually be
justified and that this film would really tap into a similar kind of
comedy. Luckily, it is all the better for it.
Most unexpected of all, the main reason the comical aspects during the
first half of the film work so well, is Tom Cruise's character, Major
William Cage. This is easily Cruise's meatiest role since his turn in
'Magnolia' as Frank T.J. Mackey; forget his usual stern, poster boy
heroes: here he plays an entirely different character – and he really
seems to relish the opportunity. I won't give away too much, but be
prepared to chuckle and laugh when you see a new side of Tom Cruise.
Yet while this is not nearly as bleak as the trailers suggested, it
certainly isn't a comedy either. And it absolutely IS an action-packed,
special effects driven Sci-Fi blockbuster about battling an alien
invasion (the trailers got that right), albeit one with a funny bone
and great characters. Speaking of which, the rest of the cast is also
very good, especially the gorgeous Emily Blunt. It seems that no matter
what she does, she always comes across as genuine and real; here she
succeeds in portraying her character - a tough, seasoned soldier other
soldiers refer to as "full metal bitch" (no kidding!) - with just the
right touch of vulnerability to make her that much more believable.
Bill Paxton and Brendon Gleeson are always a welcome addition to any
movie, and while they are great (as usual), character-wise, they don't
do anything here that you haven't seen them do before.
As for the Sci-Fi spectacle that the trailers promised, I'm glad to
report that the film delivers. The battle scenes are beautifully
orchestrated (not the Transformer-style blur where you can't make out
anything anymore), and there are moments when the intensity of the
fighting recalls the landing on Omaha Beach in 'Saving Private Ryan' -
without the gore, obviously (after all, this is PG-13). The design of
the aliens - the production design in general - is incredibly well
done, although I would lie if I said it was something ground-breaking
and new the way the first 'Matrix' was (it IS breathtaking, though).
So my verdict: With one of the most inventive (adapted) scripts for an
original (mega-budget) film in a long time and the best Tom Cruise
we've seen in years, 'Edge of Tomorrow' will have you chuckle and laugh
nearly as much as drop your jaw in awe: this is what Hollywood should
take as a blueprint for exciting summer entertainment henceforth. 9
stars out of 10.
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