There seems to be a popular consensus that the trailers for “Edge of Tomorrow” are a bit confusing. It’s evident that Tom Cruise is experiencing some sort of “Groundhog Day” scenario as he fights aliens on a beach with Emily Blunt in a giant battle suit, but the hows and whys of the situation are a bit… unclear.
What is clear, however, is that the majority of critics seem to think that the time travel movie is definitely worth your time. See below for the evidence.
A Return To Form
“This song-and-dance rapidly shifts your understanding of whom Mr. Cruise is playing and how. He’s funny! And watching him glide through the opening of ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ — a suggestion of ‘Jerry Maguire’ edging his smile — it’s hard not to think, Where has this guy been? It’s been years since Mr. Cruise felt this light on screen.” — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Keeps It Fresh
“‘Edge of Tomorrow’s’ continual repetition may sound boring, but Liman and his team have worked out multiple permutations and iterations to get us into each new recurrence, and both stars are strong actors fully committed to their roles.” — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
A Perfect Balance
“As light as ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is on its feet, it still manages to balance that fleetness with visceral, impressively staged battle sequences. Borrowing nomenclature and visual language from classic World War II films, the film re-imagines D-Day as a high-tech aerial assault on Normandy, with terrifying tentacled creatures rising out of the waters and flaming shards of planes crashing down on their own human cargo. The tableau is gruesome and intense, with Cage initially a passive, horrified victim and then, eventually, an agent in a carefully ritualized study in fate, human nature and the possibility of growth and change.” — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
A Little Repetitive
“At its best, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ plays like a tripwire time-travel thriller. As it progresses, though, the built-in repetition can, and does, grow tedious. The whole thing begins to feel like a giant-screen videogame — with the gamer getting a little further, a little deeper, with each new push of the Start button. But then Cruise and Blunt do something they haven’t done up to that point, and the excitement mounts — or re-mounts. Like that famous Yogi — Berra — once put it, ‘It’s déjà vu all over again.’” — Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Historical Power
“The metaphorical overlay of fantasy and history is the best thing ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has to offer — and, for much of its running time, that overlay is enough to lend the movie a shiver of curious power.” Richard Brody, The New Yorker
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