Unexpected: I really enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow. Tom Cruise plays totally to type as a smarmy, cowardly, self-important little ad man who’s thrust onto the front lines of a major D-Day style invasion that aims to reclaim Europe from a devastating alien conquest. During the battle, Tommy learns he can Cher it (“turn back time” – oh stick with me already) and relive the day, over and over, until – with the help of sword carrier Emily Blunt – he finally learns how to defeat them.
Edge of Tomorrow is just what I want a sci fi to be. Yes, yes, aliens blow shit up (which is fairly much my gold standard in movie fabulousness) but I wasn’t distracted for a minute by plot holes, logic bombs, macguffins, crappy FX or glaring errors of science. The script is taut, the dialogue smart and witty, the action thrilling, the performances universally compelling. Emily Blunt is a magnificent Boadicea, and Tom Cruise is on top form. (why, oh why, does he have to be so repellent in real life?) Locations are great too: there are some awesome scenes of helicopters landing in Trafalgar Square that should cause Film Commissions globally to swoon with pleasure and writhe with jealousy.
Edge of Tomorrow is completely entertaining and the best sci-fi I’ve seen in yonks. It also, perplexingly, totally bombed at the box office. Go figure.