Tom Cruise's EDGE OF TOMORROW is Underrated, Smart, and Foolish at the Same Time

I don't understand the hate that EDGE OF TOMORROW gets. Among the many movies in Tom Cruise's catalogue, it's certainly not his worst entry.

It has everything you could ask for. It checks all the boxes, doesn't it?

• A strong female co-lead
• Humor
• Interesting sci-fi concept
• Symbolic plot of WWII

Positive criticism aside, most film buffs never discuss this movie. It's a forgotten gem. 

Edge of Tomorrow 2014

But why, then?

Well, in my opinion, it's the lack of risk.

If a character can't die, like the protagonist, William Cage, then viewers know he'll eventually solve his problem. It isn't until the third act that Cage loses his ability to relive each day to save the day. Up until that point, there's no risk there. 

The story rewards Cage with the ability to relive each day and discover how to kill the alien species wreaking havoc on the world. And once the story decides that Cage has had enough information to go the rest of the way without plot armor, he'll be on his own. 

Only then do the stakes come into play. If Cage dies this time, he's dead for sure, which means everyone involved in his adventure will stay dead, and everyone on Earth is dead because the Mimic aliens will have won. 

Movie lovers and non-movie lovers see right through that nonsense. 

They might not be able to put it into words sometimes, but they know when a story is bullshit. They know when a story doesn't take itself seriously. So, why should the audience?

In addition to all of that, its comparison to GROUNDHOG DAY with Bill Murray from the early 90s was everywhere during the film's release in 2014. That's all anyone talked about for months. Although EDGE OF TOMORROW is its own film, it, and any other movie that has a time loop like that, can never escape the GROUNDHOG DAY conversation. 

It's sad but true. 

And I'm not even a fan of GROUNDHOG DAY. But they did do it first, so any movie like that will always be compared to it.

Both characters, Cage and Phil Connors (Murray's character), must undergo character arcs before the story allows them to return to their normal universe. That doesn't exactly break the mold in time loop storytelling, but it is what it is. 

And I think everyone saw that coming when EDGE OF TOMORROW was released. Audiences didn't need to be told about the specifics of the story, other than that it was an alien invasion movie. They knew it was going to be a movie where the hero finds himself by the end, like THE WIZARD OF OZ, or helps others to find themselves, a la BACK TO THE FUTURE. 

Still, that being said, EDGE OF TOMORROW is a decent flick. I dig the look of the aliens, although their presence on Earth could have been more fleshed out. 

Maybe we'll get a sequel, but I doubt it.