My second favorite medium is video games. This rarely has the slightest bearing on my choices for my favorite medium; I've never seen all of any movie adapted from a game (Wreck-It Ralph doesn't count). But when I learned the premise of this sci-fi feature, I thought, "Huh, so the hero has a save point and infinite lives. Intriguing." To put it in more cinematic terms, it sounded like Groundhog Day, only substituting action for comedy. Oh, and it's not a 24-hour cycle: Only death serves for a reset.
I had not realized just how much emphasis would be on the sci-fi in other regards. A montage in the beginning establishes a war on Earth against aliens, in which humans have won only one battle so far. A handful of humans know why the invaders are so effective: innate time travel properties, combined with a hive mind. Whenever an elite "Alpha" dies, the "Omega" turns back the clock to a set point, retaining memories that the humans don't -- unless the Alpha's blood covers a human, thereby granting him the sole power of automatic resets, along with occasional telepathic connections with the Omega, for as long as he has the right blood in his body. That's what happens to protagonist Major Bill Cage (Tom Cruise, still quite watchable), but even demonstrating "foreknowledge" doesn't reliably convince others of his ability, apart from Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who used to be like him. Together, they hope to minimize if not prevent a disastrous ambush and, if possible, kill the Omega.
I can't say I like the initial setup for Cage. As a public affairs officer, he does not welcome General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly becoming his commanding officer behind his back, or so the general claims, and then ordering him to get front-line footage. Cage's threat of bad publicity backfires, and he finds himself falsely labeled a private, deserter, and consummate liar. He gets little choice but to go to the front line under Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton) as a soldier -- and nobody at the base believes that he has no relevant training. Between this and the violent time loop, which begins when he wakes up at the base, Cage may be the least enviable film protagonist of 2014. If I were him, I'd spend at least one cycle putting a bullet in Brigham, who had no compelling reason to treat him that badly. Why wouldn't he accept Cage's suggestions for other officers? And since Cage had been on (inter)national TV, you'd think somebody in the barracks would recognize him. Is this the only way the filmmakers knew to make a soldier sympathetic up front?
I also don't care much for the aliens. On one hand, er, tentacle, they are quite alien, which I prefer to the overly relatable types like Na'vi and even Prawns. On another tentacle, the CG looks about as bad for 2014 as the Starship Troopers bugs looked for 1997. They move too cartoonishly to convince me that they're "real." We also have a number of unanswered questions about their bizarre nature, at least putting aside the light novel on which it's based. Maybe that's just as well; the nearly two hours feel long enough already.
Fortunately, these objections come before the highlight of the story turns up. Once Cage has his time loop, it's easy to put aside the previous thoughts. Indeed, it lends one a peculiar new perspective when all kinds of consequences, up to and including one's own death, become fleeting. Rita shows no qualms about shooting a maimed but protesting friend in the name of maximum preparation. Pretty soon, Cage stops trying to save any comrades in battle besides Rita, who not only understands him best but may be the most badass partner available. Frankly, we hardly know enough to care about the rest anyway.
We don't get to see every iteration. Rita said she got past 300 before losing her powers (which I assume she knows because she stopped getting visions), so I imagine something like that for Cage as well. And in case you were wondering whether the plot allowed any room for suspense, yes, Cage loses his powers in the third act.
I can discern no moral lesson to learn from Edge of Tomorrow. Intellectually, it offers little more than a fruitless philosophical exploration of the impossible. But I for one am fine with that; in fact, I consider philosophy the best reason to entertain the whole concept of time travel. As an action spectacle, this flick's not worth remembering; as an exercise in broadening the mind, it's not bad.
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