Review: "Edge of Tomorrow" plays to edgy Tom Cruise and battletech gamers

"Edge of Tomorrow" PG 13
Doug Liman directs a movie version of 'All You Need is Kill' with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt playing special forces people in an alien invasion. What could possible go wrong? Well in minutes of the big action landing, they die! Then they are rebooted to another timeline, ala Groundhog Day, or maybe Halo or Eve, or Starcraft, with elements of any number of strategy video games. The mech suits look something like exoskeleton armor from any number of games, as mech warriors and armored soldier games are everywhere. So why not make a movie about it? The novel might not be much like this though.

The idea that Tom's colonel character is moving through time is silly but go witrh it. He gets splashed on by alien blood and gets powers because the alien Omega's brain somehow has the ability to time shift. Yep, it seems pretty out there. It is science fantasy. It also seems like the Lords of Xenu might have inspired it. (Tom is a Scientologist, but not his character). Anyway, so aside fro audience members cracking jokes about the silly mad scientist 'Is he L Ron Hubbard?'or the alien brain, 'Is that Xenu'? the movie is so nuts that it's actually entertaining.

It was a better movie than 'Oblivion' just by including actual people and having actual tension going on that didn't seem immediately forced or robotic. Tossed into the action, the direction moves when it should, and the slomo is not embarrassing, although a lot of the Paris part was so dark! In 3D it must have been nearly black.

Each time Cage dies he gets more powers somehow, which is never explained, or at least doesn't make sense, but the audience seemed okay with it. The idea is that somehow he can recall not only what happened before, but also pull in strength and alertness from other timelines, because of the alien blood that gets sprayed on him. This is really a stretch, but somehow seems more rational than the alien plan.

The aliens are some kind of land squid things with glowing blue blood that use time travel as a defense against planets they invade. This seems cool on the off set until you step back and figure, how the heck did they evolve such a power? Then how does Cage somehow use it? How does Rita lose it,really? If Cage and Rita, the main characters, are always in a paradox, there is no losing or gaining from the share. If anything, they gain from it.  Then why would the aliens be dumb enough to allow such a power to be passed on to their enemies through bleeding on them? Dumb idea. They would then know all and see all eventually.

Then again, in Battlefield Earth (with John Travolta of Xenu) the aliens teach humans to understandf math, and fly the invasion that decimates their plans, so aliens in this story follow the same logicor lack thereof.

Time travel is a total head banger. But at least this movie says ignore that because a lot of cool stuff explodes and it's a video game and it thankfully is not Michael Bay or M Night Slayaman.

Xenu would also thank them. Ha. Is it mocking Scientology or just time travel, you decide, and see in in theaters or buy it later.

Maybe the makers of Starcraft and Eve should consider suing this movie maker! Ha. 

Review by Adam Browne