Tuesday 10 June 2014

Edge of Tomorrow - and the restoration of hope

Last week I wrote a post about my frustration with summer blockbusters, essentially I was sick of them. However at the end of that notion I expressed that I was holding out hope; because who knows what was coming around the corner. How apt it was that hope was on the Edge of Tomorrow.

(I'm sorry for that, but the title really is the worst part of the film, and so I had to... that said, the film itself...)



... IT IS FUN!
It moves with a refreshing briskness; at once allowing the movie room to have fun, whilst never condescending to its audience with self-reference.
Which made it fun.

Cruise gives his best performance in years. Unlike so many "action stars" to come after him, he works every second of this movie to convince the audience that everything they see is actually there.
Which made it fun.

It handles its message with deftness, never resorting to monologues faux-philosphising about the nature of this and that.
Which made it fun.

The visual affects were superb and always aimed at adding to the narrative or characters. The editing revels in giving you only what you need whilst continually contributing to the exquisite pace of the movie.
Which made it fun.

See it.
Did I mention it was fun?


I can only hope more blockbusters will follow in its stead, abandoning self-importance, self-seriousness, and self-reference for a dedicated pursuit of fun, for giving one's audience something to grab hold of, for dedication to the narrative. 
Because if the regeneration gimmick of this movie teaches us anything; it's that, like war, war (action) movies are only going to repeat and continue again and again and again and again.
For more words on this film, read Julien Faddoul's great review at The Cinema Touch



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