Edge of TomorrowThey say success is built upon a multitude of mistakes. Edge of Tomorrow is a science fiction film about an alien invasion which wreaks havoc across the continent of Europe. The fluid, techno-organic monsters from outer space called "Mimics" have gone largely undefeated in their spread for world dominance, save for a lone victory in Verdun. When a public affairs officer, Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is forced into combat following an altercation with commanding General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), he is faced with the very mortal possibility that he will die; and he's right...over and over again.
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When Cage discovers he has been demoted to private, and confronted with the horrors of war first-hand, he is terrified and unprepared. This is not unnatural given the brutality of war, let alone his enemy, but Cage has the unfortunate additional characteristic of being a coward; self-professed at first with Brigham, but then evidenced by his attempts to blackmail him into letting him avoid a visit to the front line to boost morale. So when Cage has the dumb luck to kill one of the unusual, glowing blue Mimics referred to as an "Alpha", he is infected with its blood, and given the unique ability to "reset" time to the point where he awoke on the forward operating base which Heathrow Airport has become every time he is "killed", the purpose of this unique form of immortality a mystery. What Cage discovers is that his gift affords him an edge in survival by virtue of letting him anticipate events before they happen--because they have already happened to him. On the beach where he and his fellow soldiers land in a strike against the Mimics called Operation Downfall, he saves the most famous soldier and experienced bearer of the sophisticated, mechanized exoskeleton championed by Cage in his past life. Known as the "Angel of Verdun" (among other names), Sergeant Rita Rose Vrataski (Emily Blunt) instructs him to seek her out at the base, where she reveals that she, like him, has had these powers herself in the past. Informed of his condition and the rules of his power, she trains him rigorously to survive not just as any soldier, but one like her who has power over fate.
Edge of Tomorrow was adapted from a Japanese novella with the curious name of "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Stylistically, the idea of mechanical exoskeletons, bizarre alien monsters, not to mention the concept of resetting the day upon death makes Edge of Tomorrow share elements with many modern shooter video games. Fundamentally, Cage has "infinite lives", restarts at a checkpoint upon death, and succeeds through repeated trial and error. His "experience" is what empowers him, making him stronger and capable of probing ever deeper into this surreal, hyper-violent meta-reality. Edge of Tomorrow also shares influences with other films, one which springs to mind is the quirky comedy of a news reporter who is forced to relive the same day over and over, Groundhog Day; but, as far as we know, Punxsutawney Phil didn't have radioactive blood or tentacles as strong as steel cables. Edge of Tomorrow also recalls James Cameron's action-packed bug hunt, Aliens; the exoskeletons are an obvious nod to the power loaders, and even Bill Paxton emerges as a tough Master Sergeant named Farell. Additionally, Edge of Tomorrow shares a few similarities with another Tom Cruise science fiction/action film, Minority Report. Both films deal heavily with the idea that the future is outlined, and we are all walking the path set before us by this predetermined force, although how we navigate the path can be influenced by our foresight into what is predicted. And while not as much inspired from a particular movie, the nature of the Mimics' invasion over Europe is reminiscent of World War II, and the spread of Nazi Germany across the continent. The initial meteor which hit Europe landed in Germany, and even Operation Downfall has all the earmarks of the invasion of Normandy by the allied forces at the climax of the war. (Interestingly, the film Downfall, about the final days of Adolf Hitler, shares the same name as the UDF's desperate strike against their alien enemies.) Additionally, the battle prior to the events in Edge of Tomorrow in which Rita acquired her moniker of the "Angel of Verdun" is a nod to the Battle of Verdun from World War I between France and Germany, famously one of the longest and most devastating battles of attrition of all time.
Cage is far from a soldier, save that he looks good in a uniform on television; it's a wonder he ever achieved the rank of Major. So it's remarkable that by the climax of the film, he has become a hardened veteran, confident and capable. He is taught by Rita in the ways of fighting the Mimics, but it begs the question what in her past really propelled her to excel as a warrior, and become the living legend touted on posters promoting the United Defense Force. What little we get of Rita's past is only told in snippets of conversation shared between her and Cage. Cage grows fond of Rita and only later understands that while she can understand his condition, his efforts to track down the "Omega"--the so-called hivemind of the Mimics--is his responsibility, and one which can allow for no distractions. As Farell mockingly informs Cage, his experience is a "baptism", and he is reborn (literally) day after day, to carry out a mission which he understands that only he can perform. It is an education in responsibility and heroism, teaching him what courage is about in contrast to his earlier cowardice which set him upon this path. Experience is the best teacher, but Cage's mentoring under Rita is just as crucial for his survival, all lessons which he learns which keep him alive when it counts.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film filled with lots of mechanized power suits and bullets flying, but also with a time-travel component mixed in. It's an exciting, fast-paced adventure with a transformation of a character who learns heroism, even if it means he has to die over and over for it to really sink in.
Edge of Tomorrow was adapted from a Japanese novella with the curious name of "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Stylistically, the idea of mechanical exoskeletons, bizarre alien monsters, not to mention the concept of resetting the day upon death makes Edge of Tomorrow share elements with many modern shooter video games. Fundamentally, Cage has "infinite lives", restarts at a checkpoint upon death, and succeeds through repeated trial and error. His "experience" is what empowers him, making him stronger and capable of probing ever deeper into this surreal, hyper-violent meta-reality. Edge of Tomorrow also shares influences with other films, one which springs to mind is the quirky comedy of a news reporter who is forced to relive the same day over and over, Groundhog Day; but, as far as we know, Punxsutawney Phil didn't have radioactive blood or tentacles as strong as steel cables. Edge of Tomorrow also recalls James Cameron's action-packed bug hunt, Aliens; the exoskeletons are an obvious nod to the power loaders, and even Bill Paxton emerges as a tough Master Sergeant named Farell. Additionally, Edge of Tomorrow shares a few similarities with another Tom Cruise science fiction/action film, Minority Report. Both films deal heavily with the idea that the future is outlined, and we are all walking the path set before us by this predetermined force, although how we navigate the path can be influenced by our foresight into what is predicted. And while not as much inspired from a particular movie, the nature of the Mimics' invasion over Europe is reminiscent of World War II, and the spread of Nazi Germany across the continent. The initial meteor which hit Europe landed in Germany, and even Operation Downfall has all the earmarks of the invasion of Normandy by the allied forces at the climax of the war. (Interestingly, the film Downfall, about the final days of Adolf Hitler, shares the same name as the UDF's desperate strike against their alien enemies.) Additionally, the battle prior to the events in Edge of Tomorrow in which Rita acquired her moniker of the "Angel of Verdun" is a nod to the Battle of Verdun from World War I between France and Germany, famously one of the longest and most devastating battles of attrition of all time.
Cage is far from a soldier, save that he looks good in a uniform on television; it's a wonder he ever achieved the rank of Major. So it's remarkable that by the climax of the film, he has become a hardened veteran, confident and capable. He is taught by Rita in the ways of fighting the Mimics, but it begs the question what in her past really propelled her to excel as a warrior, and become the living legend touted on posters promoting the United Defense Force. What little we get of Rita's past is only told in snippets of conversation shared between her and Cage. Cage grows fond of Rita and only later understands that while she can understand his condition, his efforts to track down the "Omega"--the so-called hivemind of the Mimics--is his responsibility, and one which can allow for no distractions. As Farell mockingly informs Cage, his experience is a "baptism", and he is reborn (literally) day after day, to carry out a mission which he understands that only he can perform. It is an education in responsibility and heroism, teaching him what courage is about in contrast to his earlier cowardice which set him upon this path. Experience is the best teacher, but Cage's mentoring under Rita is just as crucial for his survival, all lessons which he learns which keep him alive when it counts.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film filled with lots of mechanized power suits and bullets flying, but also with a time-travel component mixed in. It's an exciting, fast-paced adventure with a transformation of a character who learns heroism, even if it means he has to die over and over for it to really sink in.