FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Hey everyone! It's finally friday and this week I have another "Flashback Friday" for you guys. I apologize for missing the last two weeks but time can be hard to come by sometimes. This week however, I return with a great little look back on the past to another amazing Tom Cruise flick, in honor of the new Mission: Impossible. We aren't going that far into the past this time as I want to look at a film that came out only last summer. It is one of my favorites of 2014 and unfortunately barely anyone went to see it. It is Tom Cruise at his best and it delivers one of the most intelligent and original science fiction stories of the past decade. That film is the Doug Liman directed, Edge of Tomorrow and if for some reason you haven't seen this film yet, do so as soon as possible.

I don't necessarily want to look back and reflect on the movie considering it is barely a year old, but instead I want to show you guys my original review for the film that I wrote immediately after seeing it last year. For those of you who don't know, I spent the majority of 2014 working on a small project I called #365MoviesIn365Days where I watched one new movie for each day of the year. Even more so, I spent the first half of the year also writing small reviews for the movies as well. By the time this one came out however, I had faltered on my path and wasn't writing many more reviews anymore. I had to write a review for Edge of Tomorrow though and it has been sitting on my harddrive since last summer, never being read by anyone. So for your enjoyment, here is my uncut and original review of the film that I wrote a year ago.

Edge of Tomorrow

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Doug Liman 

It seems we go through the same thing every summer. We are given a platter of summer blockbusters, some are good and some not so much but the main thing I hear every year is that a lot of the movies aren't smart enough. Especially when it comes to science fiction, right down to last summer’s Pacific Rim which was a masterful blockbuster yet still left many people complaining that it didn't have enough substance. Well, Edge of Tomorrow is that exact movie these people have been waiting for yet apparently none of them went to see it. Losing at the opening box office to YA novel adaptation The Fault in Our Stars it’s no wonder we aren’t given more movies of this nature. Get over your personal beef with Tom Cruise and treat yourself to one of the most intelligent Alien invasion movies I have seen in a decade.

After a meteor crashes in the middle of Europe and unleashes an entire population of aliens they call “mimics” who seem keen on taking over the planet the humans find themselves in all-out war with the supernatural to defend their home.  During the final fight for human existence they find the fate of the entire race in the hands of one man (Tom Cruise) who obtains a special gift during the battle. Every time he dies his life resets to the day before the battle.  With the aid of some special armor that turns men into super soldiers and a few fighters crazy enough to believe his stories He attempts to save the entire planet.

The basic idea of the movie is nothing new; aliens invade the planet with plans to take over and the human’s battle back with any means necessary. It’s the details that make this flick so impressive.  Every time you think you've seen enough to figure out what is going to happen they twist the story in a way you would have never thought of. Watching this I was reminded of all the Philip K. Dick adaptations and how deep the story is. The movie requires you to pay attention and piece some of it together yourself, they want you to think.  Much of this is a product of incredible editing. This movie is cut almost perfectly to give you a lot of information in a small amount of time. They have a lot of ground to cover to make the movie make sense and they do it all in a short span and it would have been near impossible without proper editing.

Another crucial component to the success of this film is the aliens themselves. With all the new movies released these days involving extraterrestrial life the design of these beings plays a huge role. Edge of Tomorrow features some of the coolest aliens I have seen in some time.  They are incredibly fast, scary, and incredibly hard to kill without the help of the super suit (another fantastic aspect of the film) and this all boils down to some high class special effects and CGI. The action sequences are stunningly beautiful and some of the most impressive of the summer so far. Considering our main character is reliving the final day of the war over and over again you are never short of excitement and mind blowing action.

Put aside all of the amazing special effects and intelligent storytelling and you still have some phenomenal acting. Tom Cruise reminds us why the world fell in love with him in the first place, if this movie isn’t a rebirth for his career than I don't know what can be. However it’s Emily Blunt who really steals this show. An incredible actress she makes the transition to action superstar with no problem.  The two battle side by side through an almost winless war fighting the same battle over and over in hopes to rid the world of this infestation. Their performances are the final touch in making Edge of Tomorrow a near perfect blockbuster. You wanted the perfect summer movie well here it is, don’t miss this one while it’s in theaters. Seeing this one on the big screen is a must. I know this summer is filled to the brim with big movies but believe me when I say this should be a top priority. 

So there it is, I hope you guys enjoy the review as well as the movie, go watch it if you haven't seen it. As always, thank you for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!