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New Movie Review: Tom Cruise Is No Action Hero in EDGE OF TOMORROW
User Rating: 5 / 5
- Details
- Category: Reviews
- Published: Friday, 06 June 2014 11:27
Tom Cruise has always played the confident and resourceful alpha male as an action hero, but in EDGE OF TOMORROW he plays a funny boob with Emily Blunt playing the more competent soldier. What’s not to like about that?
Tom Cruise is in need of a box office hit after his last three films (“Oblivion,” “Jack Reacher”, “Rock of Ages”) failed to put him back on top. EDGE OF TOMORROW may be the one to do it for the iconic action hero. Except in this film directed by Doug Liman (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “The Bourne Identity”), Cruise isn’t your typical action hero with Emily Blunt taking on that role.
EDGE OF TOMORROW finds Tom Cruise is Page, a PR man in the military who is suddenly thrust into the war against the invading aliens when he is forced to join the infantry. He tries to weasel his way out of serving which makes for some of the most hilarious moments in the film. Once in the battle zone, he is caught in some form of a time loop in which he dies and wakes up in the same situation, reliving the same moments, but each time his bravery and skills increase under the training of the efficient fighting machine Rita played by Emily Blunt.
Emily Blunt doesn’t come to mind as an action hero but in EDGE OF TOMORROW she’s believable as a efficient soldier bossing Cruise’s Cage around. Blunt holds her own against Cruise and the two make a great pair on screen without the romantic tension to take away from it.
Tom Cruise’s name is synonymous with action hero, but rarely do we think of him as a funny guy. In EDGE OF TOMORROW, the action movie is enjoyable because he’s playing against type. The last time Cruise made us laugh was in “Tropic Thunder” as Les Grossman, the overweight dancing agent. That was so atypical of the actor that everyone enjoyed it. He tried his hand at funny in Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz, but that felt flat. In EDGE OF TOMORROW, Cruise isn’t trying to be a jokester but his actions make for funny scenarios. His character has a good balance in that he doesn’t become the saviour overnight nor does he reach the skill level of Rita’s military training. He comes off as this average Joe thrust into action with lots of trepidation.
The action scenes are intense and satisfying thanks director Doug Liman who brings usual skills of building up action and delivering on the action sequences. The alien designs weren’t very creative with the outer space creatures looking too much like the Matrix movie sentinels, except these glow.
However, the role reversal in EDGE OF TOMORROW is the best part of the film with the special effects and action taking second place to the story which proved enjoyable. It's about time Tom Cruise played second fiddle to a kick ass woman. And the star should follow this route of playing characters unfamiliar to us becasue he's done the action hero to death, but there is another "Mission Impossible" movie coming our way. Oh, Tom!
EDGE OF TOMORROW Premiere Photos: London, Paris, NYC
VIDEO: Tom Cruise Races to 3 EDGE OF TOMORROW Premieres
EDGE OF TOMORROW Movie Prize Pack Sweepstakes