Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Film: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Kick Gurry
Director: Doug Liman
Oscar History: No nominations
Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

Think about going to a movie.  You get your popcorn, you get the slightly larger size because you want to splurge despite the fact that you get it every time so it's not really a "treat" anymore, you settle into your seat, and you sit through a series of a couple of commercials and what ends up being around twenty minutes worth of trailers.  Even in an independent theater, you see 4-5 other movies.  And, again, even if you're like me and see a movie nearly every week, you're never going to mathematically see all of these films.  It's just not going to happen-there's not enough time.  You see some, add some to your Netflix queue (and then 2-3 years later you're wondering what made you interested in seeing Bad Teacher), but most get tossed to the bin.

That was honestly where Edge of Tomorrow was headed for me.  It's not that Doug Liman hasn't made interesting movies before (though, honestly, I didn't even realize that Liman had directed this picture until I started this review), but it's that the premise, trailer, and let's face it, stars of the film do not elicit much excitement anymore.  Thanks to Marvel taking over the known cinematic universe, we can see shoot-em-up fights with aliens every single weekend of the summer.  I've already tackled giant dinosaurs, evil kings, ruthless dictators, and giant demons this calendar year, and I haven't even seen a Marvel movie yet.  So another fight with aliens, featuring one man who can save the world?  Yawn.

And Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt?  I don't mean to be cruel, but neither are particularly exciting actors these days.  Cruise is a legend, and respect must be paid, but we're a long ways from when Cruise's presence practically demanded us in our seats.  He used to be able to balance prestige films (let's not forget, he's a three-time Oscar nominee) and Hollywood blockbusters, but now he mostly makes forgettable action movies that gross a chunk of change but no one actually remembers a month later.  Blunt, on the other hand, is someone who never really fulfilled her initial promise in The Devil Wears Prada, with nearly every film making her lethargic and non-essential.

Therefore it was a stunning surprise to me when I saw the reviews coming off of this movie.  Last I checked the film was batting an astounding 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the year's best-reviewed films and the sort of movie it feels like you cannot really miss.  So I didn't. This morning I trucked off of my couch, grabbed my popcorn, and saw me a movie.

(Spoilers Ahead) Part of me wishes that I hadn't known about the reviews ahead of time, as I think I would have been pleasantly surprised rather than just meeting expectations (good reviews are a double-edged sword).  The film doesn't start out well-we see Cruise going into his cocky boy attitude, and it's hard to believe that this character exists in real life.  An army major, he may have managed to be in a cushy position all of his life, but come on?  No one is so naive as to try and blackmail a general, and no one who is constantly on television wouldn't have had more strings to pull and be anonymous on the battlefield.  It's a bit of a silly start to the film, but I suppose you need that to get into a film.

Twenty minutes in, though, the action and the premise take place.  Groundhog Day in the middle of an alien war is what the trailer (and likely the initial pitch) is what they are selling, and that's what we're supposed to buy.  We get some really great points from Cruise throughout the movie.  It's easy to see why we fell in love with him prior to the couch-jumping.  The man has swagger, confidence, charisma-I love the way that he flirts with the audience, selling some of the smaller moments (the way he sees the importance of covering for the card game), and taking full advantage when the movie is at its finest (since we have a constant reset button, it's wondering what Cruise's Bill Cage will do next that keeps us interested, and Cruise feeds into this curiosity with great dramatic timing).  I particularly love the scenes with the general (Gleeson) late in the film, where we are left to question just how far Bill has made it before.  A less interesting director would have given more clues as to the "new start points," but Liman is smart enough to realize that the audience won't pay attention then.

It's these terrific touches that elevate the movie, though I hardly think that the revolutionary reviews (seriously-90% is Oscar Best Picture level) are quite earned.  For starters, Emily Blunt's continued streak of presenting unknowable, non-descript women continues with this movie.  She's frequently given the (I wasn't sure if it was complimentary or insulting...perhaps it depends who says it) nickname of the "Full Metal Bitch" and the far more ardent "Angel of Verdun," but we learn so little about her in the film, and while she isn't supposed to grow (she's not aware of yesterday's memories), I still feel like the director should have given us something more behind her.  Perhaps Blunt is saddled with realism in her performance, but I don't leave nearly as impressed with her as I am by Cruise.

The film's box office is really going to fascinate me-this isn't a film that I think many people were counting on as a major summer blockbuster, and despite the strong reviews got off to a slow start yesterday.  Will the strong reviews (it is quite good, and worth the trip, though it's not, say, an elevate genre film on-par with Casino Royale...and wouldn't you love for Doug Liman to tackle a James Bond film?), it could have legs at the box office, but someone in the film's marketing department deserves the pink slip, as this film is far better than any trailer has indicated.

Those are my thoughts-how about yours?  For those of you who have not spent the last few months telling your friends how great John Green is, did you catch this film?  Do you feel a renewed interest in Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt?  Do you think the movie will be a (domestic) hit?  Share in the comments!