NaBloPoMo (11/2014) – Day 11: Edge of Tomorrow (Review)

I’m not a fan of Tom Cruise. I mean, he’s a good enough actor and he’s done some good movies. But, as a person, I’m not a fan. I think he’s a tool of the first order. So when I chose to rent Edge of Tomorrow, it definitely wasn’t to see him. Oh no. It was definitely to see Emily Blunt. If Emily Blunt were to do a movie in which the only thing she had to do was sit in a comfy chair next to a fireplace for a couple of hours and do an interpretive reading of the white pages, I’d watch it.So, sure…I rented Edge of Tomorrow.

The movie it’s self was just okay. It was an interesting story. Sort of a Groundhog Day for the SciFi viewer. Admittedly, the explanation behind why the days repeated whenever Cage (Cruise’s character) died was a bit convoluted. But, overall, it kept my interest and kept me guessing. The end of the movie – the resolution of the conflict – was not clearly telegraphed. I appreciate that. I hate it when I can figure out how things are going to be resolved.

I’m not heavily into action movies. Don’t get me wrong, when they are done well, I enjoy them. Die Hard, Terminator, Independence Day – I like these films. They key for me is that they tell compelling stories and have interesting characters. The action in Edge of Tomorrow is pretty good.  It’s fast-paced and it’s creative. The visual effects throughout the movie were effective. It wasn’t obvious that the majority of the movie was done with a green screen or computer effects…so that’s good. Though, there were times when I wish the action and effects had been slowed down just a scosh to make things clearer and easier to follow. At times it moved so quickly, that it all seemed a blur and I had to go back to watch a scene again. And that, dear reader, takes me out of the story. Anything that takes me out of the story isn’t a good thing.

Then there’s Emily Blunt. *sigh* I was sort of jazzed to see Emily in an action SciFi flick. Well, she did not disappoint. She is completely and totally bad ass in this movie. Yes, I admit that I’m biased. I admit that in my mind Emily Blunt can do no wrong. But the woman proved that she can handle herself in a physical, action role. She did most of her own stunts during principle filming. (She learned she was pregnant just before returning to film some additional scenes and opted to have a stunt double fill in.) I found her to be completely believable as a warrior. I’d love to see her in another action film.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad movie.  It also wasn’t a great movie. While it might have been cool to see the special effects on the big screen – perhaps even in 3D – I’m glad that I only paid $1.50 for the rental and not full price at the movie theatre. Though, I will say, even paying that amount of money to see it on the big screen wouldn’t have made me change my mind about Emily Blunt

I mean, c’mon!  Hello, Emily!