Edge of Tomorrow *** (PG-13) The title may read like it belongs on a soap opera, but it’s actually a Tom Cruise sci-fi epic, with Earth in its last throes of defending against an alien horde that’s occupied most of Europe and central Asia after five years of conflict. Humanity is about to launch a second D-Day from England, buoyed by the early success of a new supersoldier technology that just might turn the tide.
This one’s a prime example of Hollywood recycling. Cruise is an Army PR flak, given the rank of major with absolutely no experience in, or proclivity for, battle. On the eve of the assault, he’s forced into front-line duty, like James Garner’s anti-heroic character in The Americanization of Emily (One of the most brilliant, underrated satires ever produced). He’s killed within minutes of a stunning Saving Private Ryan-esque beach landing, only to awaken the day before it occurred, turning the comic premise of Groundhog Day into an endless sequence of training and trial and error do-overs, hoping to reverse the initial disastrous outcome. His partner in this sojourn is the hero (Emily Blunt) from Earth’s only big victory before this winner-take-all showdown.
Cruise begins living through these military mulligans because he acquired a time-bending trait when splattered with an enemy’s innards during his first encounter. To the credit of Director Doug Liman and a handful of credited writers, the script deploys a nice smattering of comic touches in selling its premise. But everyone’s really in the house for the film’s massive CG panoramas of our side blasting the crap out of hordes oversized arachnoid attackers, ala the Starship Troopers series, among others. They get blowed up real good...and that’s really just about all that matters for such fare, eh? Try for the biggest screen, preferably with 3-D, to stay focused on the mayhem, without the distractions of logic. (6/6/14)