Edge of Tomorrow – Blu-Ray Movie Review

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Synopsis

The last campaign in a losing war is about to start against an alien race that has dominated the outcome of every battle. Tom Cruise stars as a coward media officer who is thrust into the front lines as fodder only to become the only chance of winning the war after a chance encounter with a special “alpha” alien warrior. Now the desk jockey officer must repeat the same day over and over to not only become a true soldier with the help of the “full metal bitch” (Blunt), but also to figure out how to stop the aliens from winning it all and taking over the world.

Specifications

  • Warner Bros.
  • 2014, Rated PG-13, 1 hour and 53 minutes
  • 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson
  • Directed By: Doug Liman

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: No
  • Language: Mild

Commentary

This is a movie that didn’t seem to fare well at the box office and I have no idea why. The story is spectacular and the off-type performance from Cruise is one of his best in a long time. The story takes a similar approach to the comedy ‘Groundhog’s Day’ in that Cruise must repeat the same day over and over again in an attempt to thwart the alien’s on the final push for victory. Director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) does a brilliant job with the concept and manages to make a movie that is never dull, usually funnier than it should be and has some of the best action set pieces of the summer. I won’t spoil anything about the movie but will say that the ending didn’t sit right with me and leaves a few too many questions unanswered. This may leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth when it’s all said and done but the strength of the film leading up to it should satisfy enough for repeat viewings. Ultimately this was one of my favorite films of the summer and one of the truly original sci-fi action films of recent memory.

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Technical

Like most of the big production movies on Blu-ray the overall presentation is excellent. Edge of Tomorrow has a very gritty look to it and the Blu-ray does nothing to interfere with the intended look. This isn’t a razor sharp transfer by any means but detail is never compromised. The blending of live action and CGI is great, but you can tell where digital manipulation has occured. I didn’t see any compression artifacts or evidence of banding in the image. Contrast is strong throughout and colors have a somewhat muted look that is true to the image I saw in its theatrical run.

The 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is engaging to say the least. The surround soundstage really comes alive in the battle sequences and the lower end provides a solid foundation. I wasn’t a big fan of the dialogue capture though. You can tell they used mics that were close to the actor’s clothes as rustling can be distracting at times.

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Extras

Extras include an assortment of production features that show you how they made the film and its cool weaponry. Most of this is the typical production fluff with just enough insight into the production to be interesting without pandering too much. There are also some rough deleted scenes that flesh out a few scenes from the film. Some trailers and an Ultraviolet copy of the movie are also included.

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