Edge of Tomorrow

If you had told Major Bill Cage at the beginning of the day that he would be promoted to the front lines of battle against an alien enemy, and in the heat of battle would be soaked in alien blood which would cause him to gain the ability to restart the day over and over again, chances are he would have scoffed at you. Probably anyone in his position would have thought you were crazy and put you in a psych ward. As it turns out, that's exactly what happens. Branded a deserter for not complying with orders to go to the front lines and film the soldiers fight to rally morale back home, Cage is now forced to relive an invasion on France (think of an alien invasion version of the storming of Normandy's beaches). Along the way Cage meets a soldier named Rita Vrataski, the only other person alive who knows exactly what's happened to him. Together they must relive the last 30 hours, each time getting a little bit closer to finding and stopping the alien source of power controlling the time loop, and in the process saving millions of lives.

Based on the Japanese graphic novel All You Need Is Kill, Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in recent years. I know there probably aren't many Tom Cruise fans out there, but I personally have liked just about everything I've seen with him in it. Edge of Tomorrow is no different. There were some things I was initially confused about in regards to how certain events fit into the story, but after reading a few other people's reviews, and thinking about it myself it made a lot more sense, as well as made it much more impressive. It was a little weird to see Tom Cruise as sort of a self-proclaimed wimp in the beginning, stating that he couldn't stand the sight of blood from even a paper cut, and then through the course of the film turn into the gung-ho hero type. I've been used to seeing him in more heroic roles right from the start. And yet, he managed to pull it off tremendously. Emily Blunt was also great in her role as Rita Vrataski. Thankfully, I didn't see anything in Edge of Tomorrow that could possibly make a sequel work, unless they decide to go with a prequel. To be honest though, I actually think a prequel would be interesting if the story focused on the beginning of the alien invasion as to why they attacked in the first place. Unless I missed the explanation, there wasn't anything that said why the aliens attacked Earth.

For those who saw (and loved) Groundhog Day, and/or are sci-fans, this is a must-see film. Even if you're not a Tom Cruise fan, I would still highly recommend Edge of Tomorrow.