'Edge of Tomorrow': A Boldly Inventive Science-Fiction Thriller About Time-Loop Warfare Against an Alien Invasion
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) is a boldly inventive science-fiction action thriller starring Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a military public affairs officer thrust into combat during an alien invasion of Europe. With no battlefield experience to speak of, Cage is dropped into a massive assault against the extraterrestrial Mimics—only to be killed within minutes and inexplicably awoken at the beginning of the previous day.
Forced to relive the same doomed battle repeatedly, Cage gradually learns to exploit the time loop by retaining knowledge from each successive death. His predicament brings him into contact with celebrated soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who has experienced the same phenomenon herself. Rita immediately recognizes the strategic advantage it affords them, and the two begin working together to locate the source of the Mimic invasion before Cage's repeated encounters with the enemy come to an end.
Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity) and adapted from the Japanese novel "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Edge of Tomorrow is an exhilarating fusion of military science fiction and time-loop ingenuity. Cruise is terrific as Cage, charting his transformation from self-preserving coward to capable soldier, while Blunt brings formidable presence to the battle-hardened Vrataski. Liman makes ingenious use of the film's time-loop structure, with each reset expanding Cage's knowledge of the battlefield while narrowing the path toward eventual victory.
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