It’s so good…seriously. So freaking good. For a popcorn flick, and just as an entertaining movie overall. It doesn’t aspire to be anything more than that, and it isn’t, but it is ALL of that. And pretty much perfectly.
I was amazed at how I was able to watch through the movie, completely engrossed and entertained, without a pile of “what the fuck just happened?” moments where the logic of the story goes off the rails, or somebody just says or does something utterly retarded, or we watch a scene that drags, or has no purpose, or massive minutes of pure bare-faced exposition…
None of that happens in Edge of Tomorrow.
It’s funny, exciting, clever, well-written, very well-acted, well-paced, has graphics in it that are impressive…cool aliens, cool weapons, LIKEABLE characters, it is laugh out-loud FUNNY in the most unexpected places, and FUN, and tense, and even sometimes serious…seriously, guys. All of you, every one, needs to go see this movie if you’re looking for summer action fun. THIS movie will entertain you and not leave you feeling like your brain had just been raped and pooped upon. And, you also need to go see it soon, because it’s going to be out of theaters very soon.
See…I was stupid. I saw the same trailers (or TV spots, in my case) that you did and thought, “Ugh. Another stupid Sci Fi action movie. It’s even got Tom Cruise in it, and he’s weird.” That was a mistake. I wish I’d seen the movie earlier so I could have been shouting out to everyone that they should see THIS movie instead of all the other shit that’s come out.
Again, don’t get me wrong. This movie, existing in a vacuum, isn’t earth-shattering, or an event that you’ll never forget. It’s just a really, really well-made action movie. And those are indeed rare. BUT…this movie *doesn’t* exist in a vacuum. It exists in a time where unbelievably shitty movies like Transformers are coming out and making unbelievable shitty piles of cash because IDIOTS like you and me are going to see that movie instead of Edge of Tomorrow. And, yeah…I’m with the crowd that thinks that’s completely upside down. The crowd that’s very much afraid that the studios aren’t learning any lessons about making movies that are actually GOOD…because we keep going to see the shitty ones.
This isn’t a narrative that’s new for Edge of Tomorrow. It’s well-trodden territory by now. The movie’s been out since May, and these sentiments have been well-documented by the “industry” media at-large…I just happen to agree with what they’ve been saying. Whole-heartedly. And, I’d like to add my voice to the chorus.
I with you guys, Tom Cruise is weird. He’s crazy. He’s also still a very talented actor, and he’s great in this movie. Legitimately great. Emily Blunt is even better. She’s SO GOOD IN THIS MOVIE. Badass. Bill Paxton is GENIUS in this movie. Yes! You read that correctly. BILL PAXTON IS FUCKING GREAT IN THIS MOVIE! It’s also directed by the guy who did The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, so there’s legitimate chops behind the making of this thing.
In a perfect world, we’d make terrible movies like almost everything that’s coming out these days into utter failures financially. It would be a mandate to the all-powerful studios that we MUST have good stories and characters and writing if we’re to be expected to go see them in theaters. The higher ups would focus on delivering truly good movies, as opposed to posters and special effects, and merchandising.
In that dream world, Edge of Tomorrow would be the biggest success of the summer so far.
As it is, it seems word of mouth on this flick has been enough to get it to around the break-even point…which isn’t disaster, but it also still failure. Studio’s don’t make movies to break even.
As it is, we’re sending the wrong message. And that sucks.
But…at least Edge of Tomorrow doesn’t suck. And, that’s something, at least.