'Edge Of Tomorrow’ is a sci-fi thriller. In short,
it is military science fiction combined with time travel (read time loop) and
alien attack! It is based on the book ‘All You Need Is Kill’ by Hiroshi
Sakurazaka.
Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), who is kind of a figurehead with no combat experience, is forcibly thrown into a doomed-to-die warfare with an alien race called ‘The Mimic’. As expected, soon upon entering the battlefield along with his peers, he faces death. But shockingly, from there itself, he enters into an infinite loop of death and resurrection.
Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), who is kind of a figurehead with no combat experience, is forcibly thrown into a doomed-to-die warfare with an alien race called ‘The Mimic’. As expected, soon upon entering the battlefield along with his peers, he faces death. But shockingly, from there itself, he enters into an infinite loop of death and resurrection.
He realizes that the best way to end this in his
favour, is to demolish ‘Omega’ i.e. the brain of the Mimic. Apart from him,
only two other people aware of this death and resurrection phenomenon are –
Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a Special Force Warrior and her scientist
associate. In true blue Tom Cruise style, Cage along with the two aforesaid
military people, uses his each new life to further strategize his mind and
train his physique, so as to decrease the distance between him and Omega by at
least a few steps, before he meets his new death!
Like a video game in play, with every death, Cage is
required to restart his life from the same time stamp (or level). And like a
video gamer, with every new life, though he is required to play the same set of
scenarios with pre destined (or planned) succession, he is wiser and better
equipped to play the game a tad bit further. So, throughout the movie, he is
mostly plotting and preparing for the next day battle, with as many variations
as possible. Hence, the movie is titled ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ and it’s tag line
reads ‘Live.Die.Repeat’.
In the world of movies, this plot is rather new and
tricky to handle. Director, screenwriters, cast and other crew members deserve
full marks for pulling this off in as much audience friendly manner as
possible. A noteworthy scene is the one wherein, just prior to one of her
deaths, Rita divulges her middle name to Cage. This scene has a subtle tenderness
which is aptly absent throughout the movie. In most parts, the film looks like
a gothic mesh of bulky metal combat gear, metallic octopus-like high powered aliens,
advanced weaponry and repeat upon repeat!
Approximately, twenty years back, Tom Cruise
successfully carried off the internationally acclaimed sci-fi thriller, Mission
Impossible (1996). And even today, he is carrying such a film with great
aplomb. The kind of distinct continuity he has maintained in the film, is no
mean feat. Emily Blunt looks extremely athletic and agile. It is impossible to
compare this avatar of hers from her stint in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Herein,
she is referred as ‘Full Metal Bitch’. But the significance of the same is lost
in the book-to-film translation. Others have performed good as well.
This movie successfully entwines you to the
psychology of the protagonist. Alongside him, you will experience the same time
frame and level of confusion, mirth, determination, fear, boredom and
frustration. And just because, it
already has so many repeat scenes, it is impossible to see it more than once.
