Movie Review #7: Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Director: Doug Liman
Writer(s): Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

It's Groundhog Day with aliens... and it's not very good.

OK, that's being a bit harsh. But, I'm going to be blunt. Edge of Tomorrow is a film that is clearly trying to subvert the big blockbuster special effects extravaganza model with some semi-clever plot elements, but I say it's a film that is trying and failing. Despite its admittedly fun story design, Edge of Tomorrow cannot surpass its limitations as an alien invasion sci-fi story. Paper-thin characters and monster design are just a few elements bogging down this clunky, cliché mess of a film. While not as bad as I expected it to be, Edge of Tomorrow is a bad film.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is a PR officer for global defense forces, currently embroiled in a war against a bizarre race of aliens called the Mimics. Why are they called Mimics? I still have no idea; they clearly do not model themselves on their opponents, so they clearly don't live up to their name. The Mimics have taken over most of Europe, so Cage, despite his trepidations, is sent into combat to fight them. Cage, being a coward, tries to run from battle, but he gets caught up in the fighting anyways. He kills one Mimic that's much larger than the others, only to be killed seconds later. But, as soon as this happens, he wakes up to the previous day, as if nothing has ever happened. What follows is a Groundhog Day-esque series of deaths, in which Cage repeats the day over and over again in order to defeat the Mimic forces. He is helped along the way by Emily Blunt, who plays a soldier who has had the same phenomenon happen to her. Together, the two must battle against the Mimic hive mind, a powerful being that is able to turn back time in order to gain an advantage in intergalactic conflict.

Edge of Tomorrow's only strength is its gimmick. The time loop element does lead to various possibilities for storytelling not found in the generic sci-fi action flick. Furthermore, the gimmick also makes a meaningful contribution to the plot. The Mimics are successful in war due to their capacity to turn back time and learn from the mistakes of the previous day; Cage must then use the aliens' own power against them. That is a neat concept. Its execution, however, is less than perfect. The pacing of this sequence is taken, beat for beat, from Groundhog Day. The first rewound day is a simple repetition with Cage trying to make sense of it all. The second day is the spasmic freak-out. The third day is when he starts to take advantage of the situation. Then an arc of story begins with a series of days shown in rapid succession. And so forth.

One would think taking the plot and pacing from a great film like Groundhog Day would work to Edge of Tomorrow's advantage. But Edge of Tomorrow forgets the quintessential element that made Groundhog Day work: character. Groundhog Day only works insofar as Phil and the rest of the cast are interesting characters. By the end of the film, we got to know everyone in Punxsutawney pretty well. The cast was well-rounded. Edge of Tomorrow's cast is flat at best and forgettable at worst. While Tom Cruise tries his best to give a convincing performance, Cage really doesn't have a character at all. Though he presses the Emily Blunt character for information about her backstory, he never gives us one of his own. But, giving Cruise the benefit of the doubt, he actually does show genuine emotion. That's more than I can say for Emily Blunt, who plays generic "strong female role model #5." A clear effort on the part of the filmmakers to appeal to a feminist audience, Blunt's character is the brooding, tough female soldier we've seen in every sci-fi flick since Aliens. But, while she is given a backstory, the performance is so lifeless as to make us not care. All the characters die dozens of times throughout this movie, and we are supposed to care: of all the characters, I cared the least when Blunt died. The rest of the cast is a collection of cardboard cutouts disguising themselves as the genuine articles: the Red Team in Star Wars: A New Hope had more character than these clowns. The only character I actually liked was that of Bill Paxton: a master sergeant who scorns the notion of luck and faith. I wish we got some more time with him, because he was the only member of the cast that had some potential for characterization.

If Wikipedia is to be believed, Edge of Tomorrow has received much positive acclaim for its alien design. To which I say: what? The Mimics look as if one applied a splatter effect of black CGI goop to the background and had it writhe around. No CGI effect can impress me: I've seen it do pretty much anything imaginable. The Mimics have no capacity for expression, nor do they have a frightening presence. Their movements are so spastic that one cannot appreciate the design even if there was a good one to be had. Even worse is the notion of the caste-system within the alien forces: the entire system seemed custom designed for the studio to produce a terrible licensed FPS based on the game. (Just replace respawning with the time loop; it's the easiest $60 Treyarch and co. will ever make.) At any rate, I don't see the originality.

So, is Edge of Tomorrow really as bad as I make it out to be? Well, it's not insulting, at least in the way the Transformers films are insulting. There is nothing shameful or overtly sexist. Furthermore, the story isn't confused; it does manage to keep matters focused enough. The pacing, too, while stolen from Groundhog Day, still works to an extent. If one is able to let one's critical sense leave the theatre, one might be able to have a bit of fun with it. Otherwise, Edge of Tomorrow is just another explosion, CGI-heavy, sci-fi flick. Hollywood needs to recognize that the key to a good sci-fi blockbuster is not the special effects or even the story: it's the character that really counts. If we don't care about anyone, then there's no reason for us to care about the movie itself.

Recommendation: If you are looking to rot your brain and enjoy some mindless escapism, then Edge of Tomorrow might satisfy. If you just came back from your Bergman marathon and are seeking yet more intellectual stimulus, then stay as far away from Edge of Tomorrow as possible. If you are looking to watch a quality sci-fi blockbuster along the lines of The Empire Strikes Back, then I'd say Edge of Tomorrow isn't the film you are looking for. Head to your nearest library and check out something more meaningful instead.

I give Edge of Tomorrow an even 3 stars out of 10.