EDGE OF TOMORROW - REVIEW

Tom Cruise is finally back in yet another sci-fi blockbuster fighting nasty aliens and saving the world except, this time, he's got some temporal obstacles to face as well.

Based on the novel and graphic novels gloriously entitled "All You Need Is Kill", Edge Of Tomorrow sees officer William Cage (Cruise) refuse to be sent to war against the aliens in question, a super-smart squid-like bunch known as "Mimics", before getting thrown into battle against his will. He dies soon enough (in a surprisingly horrible way, might I add) but suddenly wakes up the day before and soon realises that he is resetting the entire day somehow every time he dies. His plan is to figure out what's going on with the help of badass soldier Rita (Emily Blunt), aka "Full Metal Bitch", but the idea soon becomes to try and take down the Mimics using their own sneaky tricks. Rita trains the not-exactly-combat-ready Cage and, eventually, armed with mech-suits, giant swords and grenades, they set off to kick a whole lotta alien ass and attempt to stop them once and for all.

Think War Of The Worlds meets Aliens meets Groundhog Day meets Source Code meets... anime.

Ok, so it's a little derivative but Edge Of Tomorrow still finds its own voice, its own style and, in the end, it still comes off as an original enough action flick. Much more so, frankly, than Oblivion which just reminded you of a hundred better things without really adding anything else at all. Cruise is on top form here delivering a constantly evolving performance and his transformation from meek deserter to badass super-soldier is actually pretty convincing. Blunt is also at her best, proving once again that maybe moodier roles are her forte (also see Looper). The supporting cast, which includes a brilliant Bill Paxton, is straight out of an early James Cameron actioner and that certainly injects a fun retro vibe to the proceedings. Cage's daily rewinds luckily don't slow the film down like you'd expect them to, however, in a perfect world, the film could have included even more action and cool moments instead of staying true to that fragmented structure which limits the film a little in what it can and can't do. That said, there are more than enough awesome moments here to keep you entertained throughout from the thrilling battle scenes to the chases and character dynamics.

Like Pacific Rim, here's a Summer blockbuster which understands that it needs to primarily be fun but, to be fair, this year's been more generous than last year with X-Men: Days Of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also bringing their good share of entertainment. Edge Of Tomorrow's opening news footage may kick things off in a clunky way but stick with the film and it should leave you more than satisfied. Much like War Of The Worlds, it fails to stay quite as gripping and genial in its third act, as we get a mostly-shot-in-the-dark piece of Independence Day macguffin logic and little else more. At its worst, Edge Of Tomorrow is a tad too derivative and at its best it's the lost kickass 80's action flick you've always wanted to see. Thankfully, the film mostly delivers and it mercifully avoids being bland or forgettable. The cool designs of the Mimics and all the weaponry alone should keep you onboard no matter what.

While sadly not perfect, Edge Of Tomorrow is still one of this Summer's best and most fun blockbusters as well as Cruise's finest effort since Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Just go check it out, you won't be disappointed.

All you need is cinema ticket.