Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow. Tom Cruise has good form in sci-fi. Of this quartet of titles, Spielberg’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’s novel is the masterpiece. But if we use ‘fun’ as the critical measuring stick, and why not, well then Doug Liman’s Cruisebuster runs rings around the others, scores a hat-trick, takes its jersey off and pogo’s around the pitch like a lunatic in front of the cheering fans.
The film is one part Rubik’s Cube and one part Groundhog Day. Based on a Japanese novel with a way cooler title (All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka), Cruise stars as a military PR man forced into an epic battle by a grumpy general (Brendan Gleeson), where the panic-stricken nerdlinger is killed almost immediately by an alien entity known as a Mimic. Then he wakes up and relives the same day over and over.
The early scenes, especially, are brilliant. Cage is disorientated and frightened by his ability to reset time and it takes a very long while – mined for all the comedy it is worth – for him to begin to master any knowledge and fighting skills he has learned. Liman throws in the traditional and cheesy training montage, however, no typical heroic progression is made – we just see Cage getting killed over and over and over and on and on and Ariston.
Joining the Cruisemeister in Edge of Tomorrow is Emily Blunt. It’s not the type of role usually offered to the demure English rose and she gets to kick ass with the best of them. Actually, she is the best of them. And she has a mighty sword which she uses to chop up Mimics. A heroine known alternatively as the Angel of Verdun and/or Full Metal Bitch, Rita is there to connect Cage to the bigger picture and put him through his paces, training him so they can save the world. The strength of the female role, in the perennial dude factory of Hollywood, is welcome even if it does – quite needlessly – resort to third act smoochies. Although the film takes delight in killing Cruise repeatedly, Mr. Star Wattage, Inc. still has his contractual demands and they must be met.
Martyn has awarded Edge of Tomorrow five Torches of Truth
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