Edge of Tomorrow Movie Review (English)
Review by Zulfiqar
Is ‘edge of tomorrow’ heavily inspired from ‘Groundhog day’? It is a story inspired from Japanese novel called ‘All you need is kill’. But the humour and screenplay belongs to Bill Murray starrer. Both are certainly of a gorge divided genres. But the main theme of revisiting the past day is almost done in a detail and way, which was shown in the 1993 comedy. The main difference is maybe ‘edge of tomorrow’ shows many days and offers explanations even for smaller nuances in the revisiting. But ‘groundhog day’ was self explanatory. At the end, you will come to know Bill had lived years and years there, practicing throwing cards in the hat, perfecting piano and mastering the ice-statue carving. But this is certainly not an insinuation. The inspiration stops less than half way, from where ‘edge of tomorrow’ has a completely different and its own flavour.
Humour is ingrained in this sort of storytelling, but the director, Doug Liman, makes it very interesting by adding many funny scenarios. The scene where Cage gets run over by truck is hilarious. But the main story is a different one. While in ‘groundhog day’ this special reason for time loop wasn’t explained, in ‘edge of tomorrow’, there is a sci-fi nudge for the recurring day to occur.
World is endangered by the invasion of Mimics, aliens, which move underground and pop up with lightning speed and may engage many troops to each one of it. They have taken over France and Germany and are bound towards London. Humanity’s hope, thankfully, doesn’t lie in hero’s hands, as the story begins. Cage(Tom Cruise) is a major in the military rank, but he is a very reluctant and timid soldier. He is in fact a spokesperson for UDF, which is formed by NATO uniting the whole world soldiers, to fight collectively against the Mimics. Battle at Verdun had been won after a series of defeats and the multiprong attack is what the general of UDF(Brendan Gleeson) plans. When Cage rejects the order to be posted on the banks of France to engage in a field attack, he is stripped of his citings and he is forcibly sent to Heathrow base, from where he is shipped off with his platoon to the attack site of French shores. He is involved in a full bloody combat before he knows it and kills a mimic and in the process is killed himself before being sprinkled by it’s blood. This happens after he sees the end of ‘full metal bitch’, Rita Vrataski, the lady hero at Verdun. And then the time loop starts, he wakes up again at the Heathrow base, with the same day recurring. This happens a lot of times and he reveals his supposedly stupid circumstance to the aloof ‘full metal bitch’.
He finds her in a confidante as she explains the similar situation she was in after she was killed before being doused in mimic’s blood, which has this ability to reset the past. Now, there is an Omega and a lot of the story, which unfolds, as they need to end this war.
‘Edge of tomorrow’ is based on the Japanese novel ‘all you need is kill’. But it has a lot of witty writing and quirky situations of its own. There is not a moment of boredom. The recurring theme sometimes may get at you, but each one is explained either with reason or with humour. Cruise plays a completely different role from his Roy Miller role in ‘knight and day’. In it, he was an out and out hero, but here is an escapist and a man, who can do anything to save his skin. But one of the main parts of the story is the evolution of his character. At the end, all he is concerned about is winning the war. And cruise carries on this transformation so well. Emily Blunt too transforms from the role of a war hero to a faithful sidekick. There are no more characters, who get bigger roles. True there is general Brendan Gleeson and the geeky doctor, but they just get a small time. Probably, this is where the movie gains. It downplays the rest and helps the movie gain some time for explaining alphas, omegas and visions. This is a very simple way of telling the story, which is certainly a lot complex, if not properly handled. I don’t think none of the audience got lost in the story.
Half the success of ‘edge of tomorrow’ lies in its weird story and its light spirit. But the main part of it, I feel, lies in technicalities.
Now, consider the fight at north-western shores of France. It is the first action sequence. And the most wonderful thing that I observed was it occurs during the day. For once, Hollywood suspends its mad fascination with dark, gloomy and eerie action set pieces. There is a whole bright brownish mayhem littered with flying bodies, crushed metal suits and blazing flashes of ammo. Another wonderful thing is the way mimics are kept off the camera, while they carry on the whole carnage. They are introduced sinisterly and with panache. True they are a lot inspired from Transformers, while they are moving that is, but when they come out there is a good amount of satisfaction. And in the last action sequence, when Liman goes back to dark, eerie spaces, he has a reason, which is to showcase the bright, neonish Omega against the dullness. But I really enjoyed the cross country journey of Cage and Vrataski. Highway strip against the greenish and brownish countryside has a dazzle of color, making it worth to watch. There is another small detail at the climax, when the war is won. The brain Omega dies underwater after the explosion and when the camera raises to the surface, dawn dawns, a literal undertone. Why to mention these things, probably the technical aspects are what adds to the spirit.
Humour is ingrained in this sort of storytelling, but the director, Doug Liman, makes it very interesting by adding many funny scenarios. The scene where Cage gets run over by truck is hilarious. But the main story is a different one. While in ‘groundhog day’ this special reason for time loop wasn’t explained, in ‘edge of tomorrow’, there is a sci-fi nudge for the recurring day to occur.
World is endangered by the invasion of Mimics, aliens, which move underground and pop up with lightning speed and may engage many troops to each one of it. They have taken over France and Germany and are bound towards London. Humanity’s hope, thankfully, doesn’t lie in hero’s hands, as the story begins. Cage(Tom Cruise) is a major in the military rank, but he is a very reluctant and timid soldier. He is in fact a spokesperson for UDF, which is formed by NATO uniting the whole world soldiers, to fight collectively against the Mimics. Battle at Verdun had been won after a series of defeats and the multiprong attack is what the general of UDF(Brendan Gleeson) plans. When Cage rejects the order to be posted on the banks of France to engage in a field attack, he is stripped of his citings and he is forcibly sent to Heathrow base, from where he is shipped off with his platoon to the attack site of French shores. He is involved in a full bloody combat before he knows it and kills a mimic and in the process is killed himself before being sprinkled by it’s blood. This happens after he sees the end of ‘full metal bitch’, Rita Vrataski, the lady hero at Verdun. And then the time loop starts, he wakes up again at the Heathrow base, with the same day recurring. This happens a lot of times and he reveals his supposedly stupid circumstance to the aloof ‘full metal bitch’.
He finds her in a confidante as she explains the similar situation she was in after she was killed before being doused in mimic’s blood, which has this ability to reset the past. Now, there is an Omega and a lot of the story, which unfolds, as they need to end this war.
‘Edge of tomorrow’ is based on the Japanese novel ‘all you need is kill’. But it has a lot of witty writing and quirky situations of its own. There is not a moment of boredom. The recurring theme sometimes may get at you, but each one is explained either with reason or with humour. Cruise plays a completely different role from his Roy Miller role in ‘knight and day’. In it, he was an out and out hero, but here is an escapist and a man, who can do anything to save his skin. But one of the main parts of the story is the evolution of his character. At the end, all he is concerned about is winning the war. And cruise carries on this transformation so well. Emily Blunt too transforms from the role of a war hero to a faithful sidekick. There are no more characters, who get bigger roles. True there is general Brendan Gleeson and the geeky doctor, but they just get a small time. Probably, this is where the movie gains. It downplays the rest and helps the movie gain some time for explaining alphas, omegas and visions. This is a very simple way of telling the story, which is certainly a lot complex, if not properly handled. I don’t think none of the audience got lost in the story.
Half the success of ‘edge of tomorrow’ lies in its weird story and its light spirit. But the main part of it, I feel, lies in technicalities.
Now, consider the fight at north-western shores of France. It is the first action sequence. And the most wonderful thing that I observed was it occurs during the day. For once, Hollywood suspends its mad fascination with dark, gloomy and eerie action set pieces. There is a whole bright brownish mayhem littered with flying bodies, crushed metal suits and blazing flashes of ammo. Another wonderful thing is the way mimics are kept off the camera, while they carry on the whole carnage. They are introduced sinisterly and with panache. True they are a lot inspired from Transformers, while they are moving that is, but when they come out there is a good amount of satisfaction. And in the last action sequence, when Liman goes back to dark, eerie spaces, he has a reason, which is to showcase the bright, neonish Omega against the dullness. But I really enjoyed the cross country journey of Cage and Vrataski. Highway strip against the greenish and brownish countryside has a dazzle of color, making it worth to watch. There is another small detail at the climax, when the war is won. The brain Omega dies underwater after the explosion and when the camera raises to the surface, dawn dawns, a literal undertone. Why to mention these things, probably the technical aspects are what adds to the spirit.
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