Take a little Groundhog Day, add a dash of Alien, and even sprinkle in some Wizard of Oz “courage” and you have Edge of Tomorrow.
Tom Cruise plays Bill Cage, a military PR guru who is known more for his marketing and not a bit about his soldiering (since he’s seen zero combat duty). Suddenly he gets on the wrong side of a high-ranking general (Brendan Gleeson) and next thing he is being sent to the front lines for a suicide mission.
It’s a massive battle between Earth’s armies and alien invaders. On this first day of battle Cage kills one big baddy, but in the process, he himself is killed. The big baddy he killed has infected him; a condition which forces Cage into a reset mode – meaning as soon as he is killed, he is reset to the beginning of the day to start the day over again in a time loop – forcing him to live out the brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying, again and again.
Tom Cruise plays Bill Cage, a new soldier facing judgement day; Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
But with each battle, Cage is able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). As Cage and Vrataski take up the fight, each repeated encounter takes them one step closer to defeating the alien enemies.
Cruise, of course, plays the same character we’re accustomed to seeing him as. But Emily Blunt shines as the female tough girl. A favorite character and performance is Bill Paxton, as the tough sergeant assigned to Cage. Another highlight is the great music by Christophe Beck, which really sets a fantastic mood for the film.
“Edge of Tomorrow” takes place on a futuristic Earth; Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Is Edge of Tomorrow a great action flick? Yes it is. Its biggest downfall is that there’s not a whole lot of originality in it. That being said, it’s all done exceptionally well. You won’t find a better made action flick this year, and it’s clear the production company spent a lot of money and time on it. It has great special effects, plenty of action, super cool megazord destruction suits. The 3D is incredible. Just a quick look at the credits list and you’re likely to see the largest collection of names for a movie you’ve ever seen, which is a testament of great attention to detail.
For a summer blockbuster designed to get us out of the heat and into a fantasy trip, it’s perfect. Will you remember Edge of Tomorrow in five years? Not likely, but it is totally enjoyable for a summer movie. Give it a shot, even if you might not want to see it again and again and again and again…
See the trailer now:
The Christian Worldview
Edge of Tomorrow does not consider religion or any kind of faith – good or bad. Tom Cruise’s character relies on a “pull-oneself-up-by-his-own-bootstraps” mentality, and this is prevalent, even the underlying theme of the whole film.
Biblical Discussion
In Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise’s character Bill Cage is forced to relive the day on which he is killed over and over again. The only way he is able to experience a longer day and to survive is to better himself, learn from his mistakes, and improve on his abilities. “Practice makes perfect” is a fine philosophy with which to move through life, and yes, we should learn from our mistakes and better ourselves. But as Christians, do we get second chances? Absolutely. How are our seconds chances as Christians different from those Bill Cage experiences?
Emily Blunt’s character Rita struggles to understand why she is so important to Cage; Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
From Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me… Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
As Christians, when God gives us a second chance, we are whiter than snow. We do not “re-start” at the same broken and failing place where we were before the reset. No, we are pure, cleaner than snow, in a better condition than where we were. Just the opposite of Bill Cage, who restarts in the same bad shape as he began, only to slowly improve, we restart as new and improved, only to let sin begin its corruption once again. But what joy – we can hit restart and find forgiveness and a “new self” once again.
Tom Cruise as Bill Cage, suited up on the battlefield; Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Psalm 51: “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity… Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Are you ready for a restart? Are you ready to start anew and try again? It is available through Jesus Christ for you and for me.
Ephesians 4: 22-24: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Learn more about the film at its Official Website
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