What was once 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow has somehow become known as Live Die Repeat. I’m still not exactly sure how this has happened (my guess is that it would be partly due to the fact it didn’t do very well upon its U.S. release), as you would think a title is a title. . . yet, with a simple catchy tagline (that, in essence, is a definition of the film’s narrative), it has overshadowed the original title – meaning that, by the time posters, DVD and Blu-Rays were released, the slogan featured more predominantly than the original title. . . it is rare hearing anyone even refer to it by Edge of Tomorrow anymore.
A clever alien reworking of D-Day fused with a Groundhog Day premise, it brings two of Tom Cruise’s favourite people together to craft a perfect vehicle for the action superstar. Chistopher McQuarrie (who has worked with the actor seven times. . . and has three more projects in the works with him), who co-writes along with brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (adapting the piece from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s manga “All You Need Is Kill”), and director Doug Liman (who has made two recent movies with Cruise. . . and has another in the works), bring this sci-fi world to vivid life.
Cruise plays Major William Cage, a rare persona who doesn’t have the need for speed – in fact, he is really bad at what he does. A rather chickenhearted so-called ‘actor’ whose primary position is to draw people into the war effort against this advanced alien species that has attacked Earth (called Mimics), he is unknowingly railroaded by his superior officer and Britain’s General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) into joining the front line.
Completely unwilling, they secretly plant him in ragtag J-Squad, telling their Master Sergeant, Farell (Bill Paxton), that the man is a deserting Private. . . and that he needs to keep an eye on him. Forced to parachute in, Cage bumbles his way to his death. . . only to learn that, every time he dies, he restarts his day from the time he wakes up (due to the fact that, upon his death, an ultra rare blue Mimic bleeds out on top of him. . . giving the military man the creature’s extremely useful adaptable power).
Cage’s next move is to make contact with the heart of the war effort. . . Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) – the ‘blunt’ hero of the battle of Verdun (this a reference to World War 1). . . which has given her two rather kick-ass monikers – ‘The Angel of Verdun’ and ‘Full Metal Bitch’. Cage soon learns that the only reason she became the hero at Verdun is that she had the same power he did. . . only lost it after a blood transfusion.
Bringing him to Dr. Carter (Noah Taylor), they explain that the only way to win this lopsided war is to kill the Omega (which is the central life force of these aliens). . . and, as Cage is synched into their communicative system, he should be able to lead them right to the well-hidden creature.
A wonderfully shaped sci-fi action film, Liman, McQuarrie and the rest of the team perform an excellent balancing act, taking the premise seriously (pulling historical facts from D-Day right down to the original timeline and weather conditions) without ever forgetting that this journey also has to be a fun adventure. Laced with touches of macabre death-day humour, Edge of Tomorrow’s unique fusion brings together an exciting combination of senses – suspense and edge of your seat thrills, laughter and energy, even a touch of romance. Centred on the solid bond between Cruise and Blunt, they do an impressive job with every task thrown at them – from action (as per usual, Cruise doing all of his own stunts. . . Blunt also did most of her own until learning that she was in the early stages of pregnancy) to developing a truly unique one sided bond in which Cage is so interwoven with Vrataski – without her having the same connection (as each repeat means that she is meeting him for the very first time).
A mind-bendingly warped trip down memory lane, Edge of Tomorrow is an example of stylish creativity done in a big budget epic. Visually scrumptious, mentally stimulating, historically influenced, and original in its sci-fi aspects, it really is a very good film. So, Live on the Edge today, for this film is to Die for. . . you might even like it so much that it will earn a Repeat viewing Tomorrow.