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SALT LAKE CITY — It’s impossible not to make a weird comparison to “Groundhog Day” when telling anyone about Tom Cruise's new film “Edge of Tomorrow.”
Cage, the Cruise character, is a slick PR officer who tries to worm his way out of an assignment that would put him on the front lines as Earth makes a major, D-Day like assault, on aliens who are plaguing the Earth. His commanding officer is not impressed and busts him down to foot soldier at the lowest rank.
Labeled as a deserter, our anti-hero finds himself under the command of Bill Paxton, as Master Sargent Farrell, and is less than popular among his fellow recruits. Well, the assault comes and after stumbling around on the battlefield totally clueless, Cage is drenched in blue-goo from a dying alien, and both alien and human die. Cage, however, wakes up and he’s right back being introduced to his Master Sargent. What’s going on?
Each Groundhog Day-like excursion brings experience and allows him to survive a little longer and he tries to convince everyone that disaster awaits. Of course, nobody believes this dubious slacker and they go into the fray again — only to die again. Something changes, though, when Cage meets Rita, played by Emily Blunt. She’s a noted warrior and in one of their battlefield encounters she tells Cage to find her when he wakes. Whoa! Could she possibly know what’s going on?
When our boy seeks her out back at base, she of course doesn’t know him. But when he repeats her request for him to find her, Rita explains that she too had the ability he now has, but lost it. Apparently she too was drenched in the blue-goo. Seeing an opportunity for a game-changer, she takes Cage under her wing and trains him so they both can survive longer and perhaps be able to win the day.
What follows is quite intriguing, very intense and even funny. Every time Rita sees they’ve hit a dead-end, she doesn’t waste any time and dispatches our reluctant hero back to the starting line.
Blunt plays her character perfectly; Cruise is vintage, conjuring up a little Ethan Hunt and Maverick. Bill Paxton has a tough assignment; he is tasked with repeating the same lines over and over and manages to do it with flair. Although his moments on-screen are brief, Brendon Gleason as Gen. Brigham are priceless, the expression on his face when Cage serves up all his lame excuses and even threats, well, it’s classic.
This isn’t my favorite Cruise movie and certainly is not one of my favorites of the year so far, but I enjoyed it. Edge of Tomorrow” gets 3 stars and its rated PG- 13
