Edge of Tomorrow: Live. Die. Repeat. (2013) [Blu-ray]
Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline: Live. Die. Repeat.

An alien race, undefeatable by any existing military unit, has launched a relentless attack on Earth, and Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) finds himself dropped into a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage is thrown into a time loop, forced to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again and again. Training alongside warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), his skills slowly evolve, and each battle moves them one step closer to defeating the enemy in this fun action thriller.

Storyline: An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, September 29, 2014 -- It wasn't so long ago that a smart, splashy crowd-pleaser like Edge of Tomorrow would have swept the box office and recouped its $180 million budget in domestic receipts alone. With its slick premise, clever filmmakers, talented cast, thrilling action, dazzling visual effects, breakneck pace, surprisingly funny script, overwhelmingly positive critical response and enviable word of mouth, it should have cast a long shadow over the competition for weeks following its debut. Should have. But that was before Tom Cruise lost significant bankability. Before 'splodey sci-fi spectacles were a dime a dozen. Before the summer months were jam-packed with billion-dollar worldwide event films. Had Edge popped up in February or March, or even held out till August a la Guardians of the Galaxy, it might have collected more than $100 million in the U.S. Perhaps even well beyond the $270 million it drummed up overseas. Times, dear readers, they are a'changin'.

Unfortunately, it appears as if Edge of Tomorrow's curse isn't about to end anytime soon. The film remains a fun and fantastic breath of fresh air, and stands as one of the most entertaining and enjoyable summer flicks of 2014. No issue there. The Blu-ray edition's AV presentation is terrific too, without a fault or flaw to report. But Warner -- poor, clueless Warner -- doesn't seem to know what to do with director Doug Liman's latest. Confusion began to circulate the moment the studio revealed the BD's cover art. Is the movie still called Edge of Tomorrow? Or has it been retitled Live. Die. Repeat? Does the more prominent of the two sell the film any more effectively? Will anyone other than its passionate fans realize it's available? Or will it once again be lost in a deluge of more confidently marketed summer films already piling up this holiday season? Will internet savvy audiences even care? Hm. The outlook isn't good. For those in the know, or those willing to take a leap of faith, though, one of the year's must-have Blu-rays is inbound. Will it crash? Will it burn? Will it live to fight another day? Only time will tell.

The epic action of 'Edge of Tomorrow' unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault; unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Enter Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), an officer who's never seen a day of combat but finds himself unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop, forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again and again... and again. With the help of famed Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), Cage begins to hone his skills and make headway on the battlefield. Soon, Cage and Rita take the fight to the alien horde, with each repeated encounter bringing them one step closer to defeating the invading forces.

Two parts Groundhog Day, one part The Matrix, and oh so calm and cool in its bold genre cocktailing, Edge of Tomorrow pits The Summer Blockbuster against summer-blockbuster expectations. There's very little in the way of Big Dumb Fun here, and even less winking at the camera or exhausting blunt force plotting. Liman's rapidfire time- travelin' actioner is a far more intelligent, streamlined bit of entertainment than it might first seem, lighter on its feet than its trailers suggest, and much more memorable than your standard fare early-June tentpole. It doesn't creep from set piece to set piece. It presents a small but elaborate sandbox with near-infinite possibilities, and turns its screenwriters' imaginations loose. Nothing is off limits, nothing is out of bounds. If you think of it, chances are Cage will find give it a shot. And fail. And fail. And fail. Until he narrowly breaks through... only to fail to leap the next hurdle. Liman never allows the film to idle either. Death is just one snap-edit away from a new, more exciting attempt to save the world. You'll laugh out loud one second, scrape your jaw off the floor the next, and slide to the edge of your seat an instant after that. There's no time to catch your breath. No time to sneak away to the bathroom. No pause. No break. No lull. No time for love, Dr. Jones.

Edge of Tomorrow is inspired summer filmmaking. Refusing to merely rehash, regurgitate or recycle post-apocalyptic sci-fi tropes, it forges ahead with a briskness, energy, and love of innovation and subversion that puts the likes of Transformers: Age of Extinction (lazy, tepid and tiresome) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (erratic, convoluted and forced) to shame. Cruise is a blast; breezy, funny, fast on his feet, and a force to be reckoned with in and out of an exo- suit. Yeah, yeah. After a hilarious start as a trembling publicity rep, he eventually settles into the muddy boots of Tom the action hero. Cruise playing Cruise. But there are plenty of great scenes -- both comedic and dramatic -- in which the fearless actor buried inside the apple-pie superstar shines through. Not to be outdone, Blunt manages to hold her own and then some; tough, battle-hardened and, most crucially, convincing as the war front's leanest, meanest soldier. Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Tony Way, Kick Gurry and Jonas Armstrong deliver as well, with supporting roles sure to please, while the aliens are a successful blend of old and new ideas, with enough visual punch, lightning-quick presence and eerie purpose to make the tentacled beasties frightening and fascinating.

There's also no over-stuffing. No over-crowded acts. No bloated subplots. No undercooked arcs. No fat to trim. No evidence of anything of substance left on the cutting room floor. Edge of Tomorrow clips along without a hitch, never letting go of its playfulness, losing sight of its endgame, or hindering whatever action beat is on the horizon. The last hurrah is a bit frustrating. Spoiler alert: Cage inevitably finds himself in a situation where death isn't exactly an option. It boosts the suspense, sure. But it also removes the very thing that, up until that point, sets Edge so far apart from other sci-fi actioners. Had more time been invested into crafting abilities the Omega could use to combat Cage's time-hopping, the film's climax might have been as inventive as everything that comes before it. Instead, it's as simple as, Blood loss? Sorry kid, ride's over. Get back in line. End spoiler. It certainly doesn't undo all that Liman accomplishes, though, and aside from a few plot holes that become a bit more pronounced after multiple viewings, there isn't really much that sours the sweetness of that first brilliant, breathtaking trip through Edge of Tomorrow. Is it the pinnacle of summer sci-fi? Nah, but it comes awfully close. Give it a spin. And don't be surprised if you end up watching it more than once.

Edge of Tomorrow may not be the quote-unquote best film of the year, but it's hands down one of the best movie experiences of the year. Few films were as clever, entertaining, visually dazzling and downright fun as Liman's sci-fi spectacle, and even fewer genre pics that unfolded with such confidence and ease. Cruise and Blunt deliver. The action. The aliens. The story. The script. The style. The FX. All of it on point and primed for blockbuster war. If only its audience matched its triumphs and ambitions... oh the untold millions it might have made. Thankfully, Warner's Blu-ray release delivers too. Though a bit light on supplemental oomph, the film's striking video presentation and monstrous DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track are, for all intents and purposes, flawless. Never mind that you didn't catch it in theaters. There's no time like the present to right old wrongs. Don't miss Edge of Tomorrow a second time. It really is as good as its fans insist.

[CSW] -3.4- I rented the 2D version to see if I might be interested in getting the 3D version but I think I'll pass on this one. There were too many plot holes for me to rate this any higher even though the performances were good. The Groundhog Day element was entertaining, but certainly adds to how ridiculous the whole plot is as well. I didn't really like either of the characters. Cruise and Blunt did a fine job playing their rolls. But, I never really got to know either of them and there was no attempt at any other character development. They both came off as cold jerks most of the time. I know it was because of the seriousness of the dilemma they were in but I still never cared much about either of them. I also never found any reason to get excited while watching this movie, interested yes, intrigued yes, but, I never got excited or thrilled. With that said, I thought the movie was well acted and had some great visuals. Certainly entertaining and if you can set aside the extremely thin plot I could see rating it higher. I wished I liked it more.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.


º º