Edge of Tomorrow

Just like his character in Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise seems to be mysteriously stuck in time, repeating certain events over and over again. Now over 50 and nearly a decade past jumping onto Oprah’s couch, he’s still clinging to the notion that he’s a bona fide movie star, a formidable action hero and an irresistible romantic lead. And while Edge of Tomorrow may amount to little more than a modestly clever slice of sci-fi pulp—a decent B-movie distraction with an A-level budget—the movie’s minor miracle is that it almost makes us believe everything Cruise is selling.
To be fair, outside of unexpected franchise-best Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Cruise’s recent movies haven’t been all that interesting, and the resulting toll they’ve taken on his star power has more to do with lackluster material than substandard work on his part. From the bland Jack Reacher to the dismal Rock of Ages, Cruise always gives his all. That level of commitment is on display again in Edge of Tomorrow, in which Cruise stars as slick military spokesman, Major William Cage.
Cage spends his days in the film’s near-future setting spinning the armed forces’ ongoing efforts against a hostile alien race dubbed Mimics, without ever setting foot on a battlefield. At least until a gruff general (Brendan Gleeson) sends him on a particularly dicey mission. The result is Cage’s death, but the story doesn’t end there. Instead Cage awakes at the beginning of the day he died with his memory intact, and quickly discovers the resurrections will recur every time he dies. His only hope of escaping the endless cycle lies with super-soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who knows from experience exactly how Cage might be able to use this new ability to help humanity win the war of the worlds.
Based on the manga All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and adapted for the screen by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (upcoming James Brown bio-pic Get On Up), Edge of Tomorrow recalls other notable time loop sagas, including Groundhog Day and Source Code in the witty and engaging way it moves its story forward piece by piece. As Cage relives the same day over and over again, he also learns how to become a true soldier, trains with (and falls for) Rita, discovers how the Mimics function, and ever so patiently formulates the perfect plan of attack. Like a video game hero with infinite lives, Cage has the opportunity to refine and correct every mistake he makes along the way.