Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow, 2014. An alien invasion Groundhogs Day.

Directed by Doug Liman. Written by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, & John-Henry Butterworth, based on a book by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Starring Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt, with Brendan Gleeson & Bill Paxton.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B
Enjoyment: They didn't just steal the idea from Groundhogs Day, they studied it, they understood what makes it tick, and they nearly perfectly applied that template to an action movie. It goes without saying that Tom Cruise is no Bill Murray, though. And the ending is a let down. They eventually step out of the time loop (presumably with the understandable but misguided reason of providing a sense of peril), at which point the movie turns into generic, mindless action. B

GPA: 2.9/4