Edge of Tomorrow

Ratings: 8.4/10

Film Class: A+

Genre: Sci-Fi Action Thriller

Through the film, we get to witness Tom Cruise's transformation from a cowardly Major officer into a heroic one, when he unknowing gains the ability to relive the day after death. Set in a post apocalyptic world where an invincible alien race has taken over part of the world, it is up to him to utilise his new-found gift to change the fate of mankind. 

As with any time travelling Sci Fi films, it's inevitable that logical flaws would emerge eventually. Edge of tomorrow does succeed in covering its tracks well, by spending minimal time on explanation and directing the attention towards the battle of wits between humans and aliens. Before the logical side hits me, I was already awe-struck by the super alien's abilities and how Tom Cruise even came about to "gain" such an ability himself. I especially liked the nomenclature of the aliens chiefs, 'Alpha' and 'Omega' - straight to the point, simple and intuitive. The aliens species are called Mimics, the 'Alpha' is the leader of the pack, with just a few of them around to take the lead, and the 'Omega' is the brain, the "Mothership". 

I shan't disclose too much here, because I thought the day-looping ability explanation was extremely cool and novel. There was no lack of deadpan, almost dark humour when Emily Blunt, an elite military sergeant, keeps killing Tom Cruise over and over again to reset the day. But it gives a clue as to how she became such an elite fighter herself. 

*major spoilers ahead* The only thing I didn't like about the movie was the happy ending. It's not that I'm a grumpy old man who detests happy endings because they're always never an accurate portrayal of the realities of life, but because this happy ending felt too indulging. It was as if the director chose a "happy" and "clean" ending so that his audience could all go home happy and chose to close an eye on the illogicalities of it. Perhaps, there's a deeper meaning behind that last scene, as explained on screenrant.com (I thought Ben Kendrick's post on the explanation of the ending was rather impressive), but taking into account how straightforward the plot is, I doubt that's the case. 

Even so, the damage is minimal, because the state-of-the-art CG easily wins over any grievances I have over it. It was so realistic, especially on the battlefields that I could almost imagine myself being there with Tom Cruise. Some of the scenes were pretty dark though, so the CG didn't impress as much there, but its that "grandeur" and impressiveness of the film as a whole that really blew me away... not ever since Starship Troopers or District 9 have there been an alien Sci-Fi film this good.