Director: Doug Liman
Of late, mainstream cinema is once again seeing
some solid films with time loop as an underlying plot, e.g., SOURCE CODE,
LOOPER; and now, “Edge of Tomorrow” is another deserving addition to that list.
Strong Points—
Emily Blunt: plays
a headstrong and beautiful leader. No wonders Cruise’s character didn’t mind
being murdered by her time and again! She is not there for eye candy;
complements Cruise in each and every frame, and makes her presence felt
strongly. Apparently, she underwent some intensive physical training, along
with yoga, while preparing for the role. Effort clearly shows and works well for
the film.
Tom Cruise: his popularity and
dashing looks are more than enough to make a film box office success; however,
these qualities often overshadow his performance and we tend to overlook how
robust a performer this man has been. Ever since TOP GUN Cruise has been a
consistent actor, always delivering the goods for his productions. This film is
no different; stardom aside, he excels in the role. Watch out for his
transformation from a mildly timid man into a leader and ultimate savior.
Screenplay: terrifically done! A lot
of cine goers prefer a certain degree of complexity in a film dealing with non-linearity, and most times the complexity simply can’t be avoided. Here, the
makers purposely put together a storyline that should come across as elementary
to every casual cine enthusiast—so, don’t expect a PRIMER or even SOURCE CODE. Very
cleverly, the repeat scenes are first shown in length, and then, after a few
replays once audience is also well acquainted with all that is happening, arbitrary
cut-to scenes to the relevant point in storyline are used.
Blunt and Cruise: love
story angle is nicely intertwined into the plot without ever overdoing it or
impacting the storyline. When a hottie and hunk hook up some love-sparks are
bound to flare; good thing makers didn’t ignore this natural human disposition in favor of: duty/saving the world comes first.
Good humor
throughout. Supporting cast is majorly a part of comical elements of the film.
A minor weakness was the ending. It wasn’t
at all disastrous but should have been left at Blunt sacrificing herself to give Cruise a
shot at delivering the killer blow and killing Omega, and dying himself in the process.
However, the film did maintain an amorous and somewhat humorous tone throughout,
so perhaps director went for a happy ending. Furthermore, when Cruise and Blunt
were tracking down the omega, they came across an idyllic house; in that
scenario I so wanted a little display of intimacy! It might have been calamitous
for the plot; except, we never know...maybe it did happen :)
Plot does seem like a concoction of “Groundhog Day”
and “Starship Troopers” but it is not blatantly lifted, rather reworked
purposefully. Special effects are expectedly good, and so is alien (Mimcs) design.
Final verdict: this
is Doug Liman best work after the masterful “Bourne Identity” and I hope he
keeps at it now! Indeed a fast-paced, entertaining, and high-octane showdown that deserves a big-screen outing.
8/10
Trivia: Verdun and D-Day (Normandy) are clearly references
to World Wars; there is also one reference to TERMINATOR’s judgement day by a Sergeant Farell played by Bill
Paxton!
The origin story of Dracula is being retold in 2014. While Luke Evans does look the part, the act is going to be a tall order. Considering, how accurately and fascinatingly Stefan Sileanu brought the legend to life on big-screen in the Romanian epic VLAD TEPES (1979/80). 
