EDGE OF TOMORROW (A-)

Bottom Line:  Giving this predominately uptight, unmemorable summer movie season a much needed swift kick in the pants, EDGE OF TOMORROW is an electrifying and gung-ho big screen experience.  You could argue that Tom Cruise’s latest effort in the sci-fi genre is one of the reasons they even build movie theaters in the first place – pack a dark room full of people, light the cinematic fuse and let the sparks fly!  Best way to sell this movie?  Its THE MATRIX meets GROUNDHOG DAY…meets SAVING PRIVATE RYAN…meets STARSHIP TROOPERS...meets SOURCE CODE…meets INDEPENDENCE DAY…meets DISTRICT 9.  Yes, we’ve seen a lot of this before, but never quite like this!  Call it thrillingly and freshly derivative.  The back-and-forth editing is perfectly orchestrated for maximum thrills and mind-numbing reveals.  And the workhorse-like effort of the two leads: Cruise remarkably molds his smarmy, wink-and-a-crooked-smile, candy ass slick with a battle-weary, laser-focused, tight-rope-walking toughness - while a beautifully and believably butt kicking Blunt effectively ascends the ladder of one-handed poster holding, action queen geekdom (would love to see her in a well written ALIENS sequel).  They both shine here and make you want to actually take this journey again and again…and again.  It’s a witty, sharp, energetically explosive, adrenaline pushing, no holds barred, action-packed thrill ride – with top notch production (direction, cinematography, visual effects, sound, etc) from top to bottom.  Some of what you see may seem overly familiar, but that’s kind of the point – they’re embracing it here and forming something exhilaratingly fun.  Oh, and the reason it’s called EDGE OF TOMORROW?  Because that’s exactly when you should see it!

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson

Directed by: Doug Liman (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, SWINGERS, GO and MR. AND MRS. SMITH

Running time: 114 minutes

Studio description: The epic action of "Edge of Tomorrow" unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Tom 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 (Emily Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.(C) Warner Bros

fficial site: www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com