Introduction:
So Tom Cruise has finally
found a way to make sure all the people that don’t like him see this film. If
you ever wanted to see Tom die, then get ready, because he is killed nearly a
hundred times in this film in various (and sometimes very funny ways). Of
course he keeps coming back, so that may be more of a nightmare to some people.
But if you can get past (or enthused) by his multiple deaths, then you may find
a surprisingly entertaining film.
Summary:
You know you’re in trouble
when you begin the summary with, “So a meteorite crashes into the middle of
Germany”, but that is how this gets rolling. It is all the set up for an
invasion of aliens called the Mimics. They are a deadly force and pretty much
overwhelm most of Europe, decimating any army that stands against them. Humanity
creates a new weapon to fight them with, a mecha suit that increases, speed,
strength and firepower. It doesn’t seem to do too much until a soldier named
Rita (Emily Blunt) turns the tide of a battle at Verdun and gives everyone some
hope.
Cage (Tom Cruise) a slimy PR
officer for the war effort dubs her “The Angel of Verdun” and uses her to get
recruitment shooting through the roof. This is great news for General Brigham
(Brendan Gleeson) who is preparing a major invasion of continental Europe from
his headquarters in London. He tries to enlist Cage’s help documenting the
invasion, but Cage is cowardly and does his best to weasel out of it. Brigham
takes this badly and sends Cage to the front as a soldier. Cage is hopeless and
is soon killed on the beach. But Cage doesn’t die, instead he gets to try the
whole thing again, and again and again! For some reason Cage is now reliving
the last couple days leading up to the invasion, but this “gift” may be the key
to winning the war against the Mimics. All he has to do is join forces with
Rita and get enough courage to deal with the impossible battles ahead.
Good Points:
- The plot moves quickly and has plenty of interesting twists
- Includes a lot of morbid humor for some laugh out loud moments
- Bill Paxton nearly steals the show in a classic supporting role
Bad Points:
- Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise
- The musical score is very distracting at times, nearly becoming comical
- The resolution may bug some viewers as too convenient
Overall:
A fun combination of action,
twisting plot and gallows humor, this film surprised me. The production design
is impressive with the mecha and alien designs being especially interesting and
creative. Cruise does what he does best, play himself. But if that doesn’t
bother you, there are some great turns by Blunt, Paxton and Gleason. All in all
this is an entertaining and exciting film that makes for perfect summer
viewing.
Scores
(out of 5)
Visuals: 5
Sound: 4
Acting: 4
Script: 4
Music: 2
Direction: 4
Entertainment: 4
Total: 4
Curious about a full review,
sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.
On my "To See" list. Thanks for the encouragement.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of Budrys' novella "Rogue Moon" (1960) despite the absence of a war. An alien artifact discovered on the moon has to be explored in just the right way or it will kill the the investigator. The only method to learn the right way is the hard way. The repeated attempts are accomplished not through time travel but with a replicator-device. This is like a Star Trek transporter, but it reassembles two copies: one on earth and one (in this case) on the moon. The one on earth is held in sensory deprivation and psychically experiences all that the moon copy does. In fact he thinks he is the moon copy until he wakes up after having experienced being killed. He does this time and time again, getting a little further each time. A little heavy on the (unaccredited) Nietzschean philosophy -- Budrys must have just finished reading "The Will to Power" -- but pretty good.
Never heard of that novella before. Sounds intriguing. This film was based on a Japanese graphic novel, and you can kinda tell with the creature and mechs design. Not to mention Blunt's character does a few of those patented anime soldier girl moves and poses. Definitely check this one out, I had a good time with it.
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