Edge of Tomorrow

In the not-too-distant future, alien beings called Mimics have attacked Earth and threaten to wipe out all life on the planet. So far, almost every battle against the alien enemy has been unsuccessful. But now a surprise attack could bring the decisive turn in the hopeless war. In this battle, of all things, Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), an image strategist for the military who has never served on the front lines, is to perform his duties at arms for the first time. Though he tries his best to avoid this suicide mission, he soon finds himself in the middle of a brutal battle and must realize that he and the other soldiers have fallen into a deadly trap set by the Mimics. And after only a few minutes, Cage is killed - only to wake up again the day before the mission. Trapped in a time loop, he must relive this horrific battle over and over again. In the process, he meets tough Special Forces fighter Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who has experienced the same time loop phenomenon before. She sees Cage as an opportunity to destroy the Mimics for good. And so she begins training the inexperienced soldier for this crucial mission - unaware of the deadly aces the alien enemy still has up his sleeve.

Edge of Tomorrow is based on the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The time-loop theme, of course, immediately brings back memories of And Every Day Gets a Groundhog. But director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) has varied the well-known and often used basic idea in such a clever and entertaining way that the recognition value is almost completely eclipsed by the entertainment factor. The whole thing doesn't only benefit from its great special effects. Also the fact that the movie doesn't take itself too seriously is very positive. Again and again Liman loosens up the action with humor, which is refreshingly macabre in places. The good laughs that are achieved by this are a good counterbalance to the dystopian mood of the story.

But even if it is always quite fun, the tension is not too short. The numerous action sequences and dramaturgically more serious moments make sure that despite various scene repetitions it doesn't get boring for a second and that the viewer is captivated and well entertained until the end. Of course, the story doesn't stand up to logical scrutiny for long. And of course one could grumble about some overly clichéd dialogues and the too conventional ending. But since all possible points of criticism only marginally detract from the enjoyment of this sci-fi smash hit, any critical frown quickly gives way to a satisfied smile here.

Nor can anything negative really be said about the actors. This is especially true for Tom Cruise. Even though he is definitely polarizing as a person, he shows here once again that he is really top notch as an actor. Cruise masters the transformation from an anxious, slick wimp to a tough action hero with a good portion of self-irony, which gives way to a rather serious performance at the right moments. Regardless of whether you like Tom Cruise or not, to say that he plays badly or one-dimensionally here would simply be a lie. With Emily Blunt he has a great colleague at his side, who makes a surprisingly good figure as a seemingly ruthless fighter. And also the smaller supporting roles are excellently cast with Bill Paxton or Brendan Gleeson.

Sure, Edge of Tomorrow is not a highly intellectual head cinema, no socially critical vision of the future for festival juries, but a popcorn cinema suitable for the audience. But Doug Liman also offers a thrilling story, a pinch of subversive humour and really good actors in addition to great visuals and fast-paced action. And it is exactly this mixture that makes the film stand out from the crowd of potential summer blockbusters and ensures that this futuristic Groundhog Day has become absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp