Edge of Tomorrow (2014) ***/5: This film had an interesting concept that is not original (taken from Groundhog Day) but its not transcendent. Needed to be more than interesting to be transcendent.

What more can I say about this film other than it was merely interesting. I wanted to love the film more than I did but I merely tolerated it. It is a concept film and so how could it not be interesting. With all the time loops, where the same day is repeated over and over in order for the protagonists to learn how to defeat their alien nemesis, it ended up limiting the film and what it could, potentially, be rather than pushing any boundaries.  It is a well made film but it wont revolutionize anything or get the town buzzing  about the possibilities. The film is very conventional despite its attempt to be different. The comparisons with Groundhog Day (1992) are justified. The fact that this current film borrowed so heavily from it and then tries to up the ante with sci fi concoctions just limits the film even further despite the context of an alien invasion.

This film is about Major Cage (Tom Cruise) who is thrust, as a novice, into a desperate battle, on the German shores, with aliens called mimics who have taken control of much of Western Europe.  After killing an alpha alien mimic he is granted the gift of revisiting the moments just before landing for the suicidal invasion on German shores. He is brought into contact with Rita (Emily Blunt), a famous warrior who also once possessed similar time loop abilities, and together they must engage in a continuous process of rediscovery in order to discover a way to defeat the aliens. Each time there is a time loop Cage improves his fighting abilities and develops a close connection with Rita.  It must be noted that for him to go through the loop he must die and not bleed out. It is something the viewer must discover for themselves when they watch the film.

Positives

The primary positive I am taking from this film is the entertainment value. It has a charismatic lead in the form of Tom Cruise who channels all the emotion, both joyful and remorseful, of Major Cage. There is a great relationship that develops between Cage and Rita and this will keep the audience interested in the film. This relationship is probably more interesting than the battle with the aliens because it develops very subtly. If this was a film about him trying to prevent her death then this film would have probably pushed more against its limitations.

 The film also has some action sequences that will keep the audience engaged although it is not mind blowing apart from the use of the mechanized body armour that is a part of the super soldier program. The most thrilling action sequence, for me, was the first time Major Cage, as a novice enters the field of battle. This sequence reminded me of the opening battle on Omaha Beach in Saving Private Ryan (1998) although it is not as effective because they are battling some fictional aliens after all. Apart from that the action becomes a vehicle for the relationship between Cage and Rita.

The time loop element in this film is not very original although it is testament to the influence of Groundhog Day (1992). It’s just applied to a different context. The film is not mind blowing in terms of making your head hurt because it is very straightforward. There is not much intricacy involved in explaining Cage’s ability apart from sci-fi concoctions about the ability being transferred from the alpha alien mimic. The film only becomes interesting when it veers to more straightforward  territory towards the end and becomes like the many action adventure films we have come to know. It seems like the time loop element delayed the inevitable. It makes you wonder why that element was introduced in the first place.

I don’t know what else to say about this film apart from the interesting concept. The aliens are mysterious as usual and look strange as usual. The heart of the all conquering alien attack is also quiet interesting although it does not explain origins.

Although I was not blown away the film is still well made. It does not waiver from its premise and addresses the concept as much as possible. The characters seem to be dominated by it and incorporated in it. They exist as vehicles for the concept and so their own particular issues are not as relevant. The film is consistent on such a basis. For a film that is not original  apart from borrowing elements from other films considered classics it is a very good effort to craft something distinctive in the superhero age. If this concept were applied to superheroes it would be doing much better at the box office. It never crafted its own niche, however, having borrowed so heavily from films considered classics. Films like Inception  (2010) carved their own niche despite their influences and so made a cultural impact. The film should have gone bigger in this case but chose to play it safe.

Negative

The primary negative is that the film plays it safe and does not go big enough to create a distinctive niche in the cultural sphere. It won’t have much of an impact on movie goers because it won’t get them talking. When you spend so much money (US$178 million) on a film so that it is not traditional you need to go big to make sure that people  will be watching it over and over again. The concept cannot just be interesting it must be transcendent. The only way to be transcendent is to ensure that the world inhabited by these characters applies only to them. You don’t want to hear how much you borrowed from Groundhog Day. The explanation of the time loop is quite lame because it is not self-inflicted. It is not a mechanism used by the earthlings to beat the aliens.  They never explained how the time loop ability is transferred from an alpha alien mimic to Cage. I never got the blood issue. They did not highlight how the blood would change to reflect this transference. They also never explained how the time loop affected other characters. For instance if every time I am killed and go back in time does my body disappear when they kill me? What is the reaction of people when they see me killed at point blank range. How is that explained? How is the power used? It sounds fancy when you speak about it because people will say it sounds confusing or cerebral or high concept but if you can’t show its manifestations apart from a Groundhog Day impersonation then you’re not saying much. To bypass the Groundhog Day impersonations they needed to show more about how the power is transferred and how the power is actually used.

The time element seemed to limit the film. It was only towards the end that things got going as an action adventure. A majority of the film is about Cage going back over and over again until he can learn how to be a warrior capable of taking on the alien force.  Why not a straight adventure? Why is the concept even necessary? Were they worried about it being a typical adventure story? It seems a bit lazy for the protagonist  and the antagonist to have all these advantages in such a fight. Not going well then let’s start over like a video game. Would this be even possible in a real world setting?

What about the aliens? Why are they stereotyped? They are presented as the usual antagonists that want to take over the world. There is not much explained about their origins and their habits; they come across primarily as conquerors with their superior biological advantages. They are also presented in a typical monster like fashion. The beginning of the film began with a District 9 vibe but still could not capture the history of the invasion. It seemed too muddled and the only sighting of the aliens comes with the landing on the German beach. I wonder how a realistic setting would apply to such aliens anyway.   In any case if this was a more straightforward action adventure film they could have said more about all the issues I am speaking about but they chose to focus on the time loop scenario.

The film does not have much sequel potential. Sequels are the norm for successful block busters. There is nothing in this film that will have you anticipating a sequel or some forum about ‘What if? I suppose something could be done about Tom Cruise based on the ending but apart from that there is not much residue.

The characters are limited by the concept and do not have much beyond it.

Why are the training sequences so brutal?

The action was not very impressive and I was not engaged. The only distinguishing feature were the battle suits.