This is the film that has been described as "Call of Duty/Halo meets Groundhog Day" for its utilization of elements that pertain to both a serious warfare video game and a comedic repetitive nightmare, which makes the film even more unique and interesting.

There are so many things that were done right in this film that I want to highlight and mention. Part of that brilliance are these subtle references that hint, symbolize, and remind us of the landings at Normandy that make the film seem as though its providing some type of historical allegory, but with a science fiction, slightly futuristic edge.

Edge of Tomorrow was released on June 6th, which interestingly enough, is the same day that the Normandy invasion of WWII took place, D-Day. The very beginning of the film reminded me and appeared as though the film setting was taking place in Europe during WWII.

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When I first saw the trailer for Edge of Tomorrow, I actually I wasn't too keen on seeing it and thought it looked as though it going to be just like Oblivion. But when I actually went to see the film, I soon realized it was far from it. I called-off the film at first with the thought that it's just going to be another Tom Cruise action movie, and found that it is actually a lot more than that. There is a lot of substance, a great balance of genre, and great character development, which all work together to make it a film worth watching. It wasn't until I was informed about Emily Blunt's performance of the female lead, that I really became interested in seeing it.

"In these male-fueled genres, it's usually the woman who's holding the hand of the guy and he's running through explosions leading her, and I wanted to be doing the leading," Blunt said. "This was the extreme idea of what I ever thought I'd want to do." - Emily Blunt Emily Blunt. Edge of Tomorrow. 2014.

I really loved and enjoyed seeing Emily Blunt's character, Rita Vrataski. She is the reason why I decided to see the film. It is a nice, refreshing change to see a strong female character in a prominent action role. But it's unfortunately still somewhat new and very uncommon to see a female (who is not the foremost lead in an action film) have a lot of screen time, great dialog, and that is a great character- rather than only being a good-looking female with empty lines and no meaning, which is what we usually see. But of course, because Vrataski is a strong character that fights hard and doesn't give a shit (as she does not subscribe to traditional gender roles and is unapologetic in her confidence and austerity), she is labeled as the "Full Metal...." The third word is not a term I condone nor am in favor of, but it just shows the sexism and disdain that she is targeted with because of her success and the intimidation of others.

Emily Blunt. Edge of Tomorrow.

I think this essential female character really makes the film complete and Blunt provides a pretty great description of her character:

Genre
This film utilizes the best characteristics from a good variety of movie genres. In other words, it has a lot of action, comedy, science fiction, a hint of romance. These genre elements are used so well in a way that nothing is either overdone or not enough.

Science Fiction 
Anyone who is not interested in science fiction or any type of fictional work, will still enjoy this film. Often science fiction movies seem over exaggerated with terrible, overdone special effects, but Edge of Tomorrow is nothing like that. The science fiction factor of this movie is not corny or severely unrealistic, it is nicely balanced with all of the other aspects of the movie.

Action/Camera/Editing techniques 

In terms of editing techniques, the slow-motion was not overdone and the special effects were fine. Neither one was made as though it were the primary focus of the film, which is a nice change from what audiences might be used to seeing in a lot of other action movies, an action movie without substance and an underdeveloped story line with nothing to show but slow motion and special effects. This film is not that.

The action in this movie is amazing, with incredible fight sequences. Below you can see  scenes where we see  Blunt's character in action- she literally slaughters enemy creatures with her colossal sword, takes them out shot by shot, punches them, and even does this running-jump-flip over kill. Once she trains and teaches Cruise's character, and once his character begins to really try at beating the enemy, he fights hard and as you can see in the image below, shoots out mimics (metallic alien creatures) while running across the pit. Those movements are awesome, especially considering the fact that the suits they're wearing are real and really heavy- weighing at about 85-100lbs (possibly more).

Tom Cruise. Emily Blunt. Edge of Tomorrow. 2014. Warner Bros. Pictures.

There is a very nice, subtle romantic factor to this film, but it like every other aspect of the film is not over dramatized. There aren't any unnecessary or drawn-out explicit sex/love scenes. The romance aspect between the two characters also doesn't distract or deter the attention of audience from the main conflict in film.


Not to forget there is really great character development, not just for the lead characters, but also for all of the characters depicted in the film. Overall, one of the greatest aspects of this film is its precise balance of action, drama, comedy, and science fiction, elements in which are all well-presented in the film. 

Emily Blunt. Edge of Tomorrow. 2014. Warner Bros. Pictures.

Edge of Tomorrow videos and images: Blunt, Emily. Cruise, Tom. Edge of Tomorrow. 2014. Liman, Doug. Warner Bros. Pictures. Film/Film Stills. Source: Edge of Tomorrow. 2014. Liman, Doug. Warner Bros. Pictures. Film.