In the future, a hive-like race of aliens, called Mimics, have launched a major offensive against the inhabitants of Earth. These enemies, who come in various fierce shapes and sizes, are so fast, brutal, and smart (they seem to have special telepathic skills) that all the world's armies cannot defeat them.
Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Tom Cruise) is the PR man for the military who has been sent to cover the last-ditch effort of humanity to wipe out the aliens who have destroyed most of Europe. This squeaky clean wheeler dealer is ordered by General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) to cover the battle from the battlefield. When he refuses, he is stripped of his rank, labeled a deserter, and thrown in with other grunts destined to be the first on the ground in a new offensive. Strapped into a cumbersome metal suit and armed with weaponry he hasn't got a clue how to operate, Cage cannot believe it when he and the other soldiers are dropped from an airplane to a beach in France where the Mimics are waiting to slaughter them.
Realizing that he has to summon the warrior within, he takes on one of the ugly and nasty aliens and kills him. But then Cage dies with the creature's blood spattered all over his face. Among the many other humans who lose their lives on this day of infamy is Rita (Emily Blunt), the United Defense Force's star soldier who had destroyed more Mimics than anyone else.
Edge of Tomorrow is directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) who favors a helter-skelter cinematic style and once again keeps the action going at breakneck speed. By the time you have seen the final scenes of the film, you will feel dizzy and in need of a quiet place of peace!
The screenplay is what saves the movie. It was adapted by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth from Hiroshi Sakurazaka's 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill.. After that first encounter with a Mimic's blood, Cage discovers he has the ability to reset the day. All he has to do is die, or be shot dead, and he's back to base camp. He soon partners with Rita, and they keep trying over and over again to change the outcome of the battles with the Mimics.
As we watched Cage's story constantly recurring, we could not help but think of Groundhog Day. We love the idea of resetting a day according to our fondest hopes and intentions (although we don't much care for the idea of using a gun as a magic wand to wipe away errors and wrong choices). Best of all, we were quite taken by the romance which quietly blooms in the background as Cage and Rita work with each other in life and in death doing what they can to bring out the best in each other and in their common mission to save the Earth and struggling humanity.
Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD include "Storming the Beach;" weapons of the future; "On the Edge" with Doug Liman; deleted scenes and more.
