movie review - The Edge of Tomorrow
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
After a long day's errands, hiking, and fishing, I spotted this underappreciated classic on Netflix and watched it for what must have been the third or fourth time. It is such a skillfully-made movie that you barely notice that you're being inducted into a story with a great deal of world-building, character development, and a non-stop plot. You don't for instance, notice that a good quarter of the movie is spent chasing a red herring, or that Tom Cruise's character is basically going through his well-worn heel/face turn that his characters usually do, or even that this is a time-travel piece.
I'll restate: the Groundhog's Day time travel loop that is central to the plot and without which everything immediately collapses, is no big deal and is handled so smoothly as to seem completely natural. I can't even think of a single loose thread to this story. Contrast that against failed Groundhog's Day loop stories like Palm Springs, in which loose ends seem to multiply like rabbits and unexplained bits and contradictions come back to you for days afterward.
I'll also add that the cast could not possibly be better suited to this story. Absolutely everyone turns in their best.
Strongly recommended. A favorite.