Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Tom Cruise was on a box office high. From 1996’s Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire, to 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick’s highest-grossing film), 2002’s Minority Report, and 2005’s War of the Worlds, Cruise headlined one hit after another. He was an expert player in the arena of prestigious Hollywood blockbusters. Mission: Impossible in particular sparked a series of films that became a multi-billion-dollar franchise over three decades. With its latest entry, 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the franchise received its first Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. The year before that, Cruise had his highest grossing film ever with 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, which went on to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. The film marked Cruise’s fourth career Oscar nomination, and first as a producer.

Suffice to say, Cruise still has the star power. He never really lost that status, but there was a point in his career where audience responses were not as enthusiastic, even if some of the films deserved a better reception. Aside from reliable entries in the Mission Impossible franchise (2011’s Ghost Protocol, 2015’s Rogue Nation, and 2018’s Fallout), the 2010s overall were a shakier playing field in terms of Cruise’s connection to audiences. While many films of this era pale in comparison to his golden age of commercial successes, one gem has become a different kind of hit, finding a second life since its initial release. Before teaming on the Mission Impossible films, Cruise and writer-director Christopher McQuarrie battled heavy-metal aliens in a Groundhog Day-esque action piece with a sci-fi twist.

2014’s Edge of Tomorrow, co-written by McQuarrie and directed by Doug Liman, makes a complex story fresh and fun to follow. The film’s chaotic opening montage gives you an overload of information, the gist being that Europe is at the center of an alien invasion, and this means war. Major William Cage (Cruise) controls public relations for Operation Downfall, a program initiated by General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) to eliminate alien invaders known as the Mimics. Cage, who has never done a day of combat in his life, is merely a reassuring PR face of the military. He inspired millions of people to join the army, not expecting that he himself would ever have to fight alongside them.

Cage gets a wakeup call from suddenly being demoted and commanded to join the armed forces. After trying to talk (and sprint) his way out of duty, he is forcibly dropped onto the front lines, where he meets Sergeant Farell (the great Bill Paxton) and a squad of fighters ready for the next day’s attack. Unbeknownst to Cage and the squad, they are stepping into suits of armor on a doomed battlefield. But when Cage dies in battle and wakes up reliving that same day, forced to “LIVE. DIE. REPEAT” as the film’s tagline goes, the future of humanity rests on navigating a deadly time loop. The enemy who knows the future wins the war, and the only route to victory is to regain control over time. Cage is helped by the first-hand experience of badass Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a war mascot nicknamed the “Angel of Verdun” for killing hundreds of Mimics. Having once had and lost the futuristic power in Verdun, Rita knows that it’s not enough to tell when the mimics are coming. Cage needs to know how to kill them, and the peculiar gift of foresight awards him several opportunities (some quite humorous, others the stuff of nightmares) to die trying.

What keeps Edge of Tomorrow so fresh are the tremendous script at its core, and the sharp editing and direction that hold the entire concept together. Adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill, the film constantly reintroduces scenes in new lights, which build subtle layers onto the story and characters. When Cage realizes he is stuck in a time loop, he has to constantly come up with new combat strategies to evolve beyond his first death spot. Every time his day resets, he gains more knowledge on how to survive. The film gives you a thrilling sensation of playing a video game, except instead of going through each level fully, the writing and editing speed through them. We know that Cage has passed several levels based on small changes in his behavior and dialogue. For instance, him firing at aliens without even having to look in their direction is an effective indicator that he has become more educated on the battlefield. The further Cage reaches from his starting point, the closer he reaches to the main objective, which is to find and destroy the omega that rules all Mimics. The awareness of this end goal, and Cage frustratingly going through multiple lives to get there, makes you eagerly anticipate the next reset.

The fresh storytelling and quick pacing on the battlefield maintain a terrific pulsating energy. The film also subverts expectations with a thoughtfully mapped out screenplay by McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth. The time loop is a familiar concept, but the approach has enough of an edge to stand out and be defined beyond its narrative structure. Revisiting a lot of the same moments over and over again never feels tiresome or repetitive. Instead, the writers enhance a realm of endless possibilities, in which a new kernel of knowledge can reframe the entire course of one day. The script also finds humor in the literal repetitiveness of scenes, such as Cruise effortlessly finishing a bewildered Bill Paxton’s sentence, or one of the squad characters repeatedly shouting, “We made it!” upon arriving for battle, only to be crushed a second later. The use of humor and self-awareness are a neat way of combating the risk of this story actually becoming monotonous.

The film also engages with a poignancy in knowing how one’s life journey ends. There is a reason why Cage becomes increasingly emotional when he meets Rita for the “first” time over and over again. Each meeting comes with the added knowledge of how far she gets in the battle for victory. The characters define and shape this film just as much as the sci-fi concept does. In a genre over-populated with generic carbon copy stories, Edge of Tomorrow brings forth an ambitious idea coupled with memorable characters whose motivations and personalities still feel grounded in humanity. Cage and Rita don’t necessarily represent the typical action hero and heroine molds. They do get the inevitable romance sub-plot, which feels a tad unnecessary and makes their final meeting lean on the cheesy side. But the romance never becomes the focal point of the film, nor is it close to being the most interesting aspect about the characters.

Unlike many of the action heroes Tom Cruise has played over the years, Cage’s tendency is to run away from the danger. He goes so far as blackmailing General Brigham with threats to his military hierarchy in an attempt to get out of combat duty. Cage’s unwillingness to fight makes him a deserter to the frontlines, and his panicky unpreparedness shows within minutes of being on the battlefield. Cruise switches on his charisma and embraces the goofier, reluctant side to his character. He also conveys the character’s gradual progression from a PR poster hero to a hero falling in love, willing to make sacrifices for the good of humankind.

Blunt also brings her incredible charm to the film. She completely embodies the character’s badass titles, Angel of Verdun and Full Metal Bitch. The story builds up to Rita’s prestige and status in the military; soldiers look up to her, and humanity puts faith in her. She is the picture of hope and winnability for the war; she is in a class of her own, and the film introduces her as such. Rita’s first meeting with Cage gives a dynamic reversal of the stereotypes often seen in the action genre, where the “damsel in distress” needs a man to save her from danger. When Rita discovers that Cage has the power she once had, she repeatedly trains him on how to kill the Mimics, which makes for some amusing scenes between Blunt and Cruise. Through Blunt’s unwavering intensity and believability in this machinery-filled world, she carries the character’s journey to emotionally satisfying places. Let the Full Metal Bitch be a reminder that Blunt can play any role, in any genre, and make it look effortless.

In addition to a stellar cast and screenplay, Edge of Tomorrow has a cohesive visual language that enhances its world-building. From the production design and costumes to the visual effects, each element smartly incorporates machinelike details. It does truly feel like being immersed in a video game, especially during the battle sequences. Between the Mimics moving at lightning speed, Cage’s panic flickering across the screen, and the unexpected deaths that he goes through, each battle is a sensory overload. When the aliens and humans come into contact, the end results can be quite horrifying. Cage’s first death scene in particular, when Mimic blood covers his face, is nightmare fuel. Another standout is the black spaghetti-looking metal design of the Mimic creatures. Their slippery movement and high speed feel threatening. The fact that these creatures move so quickly is also a neat way of showing that they have control over time; they are always several steps ahead of the human characters. The overall look of the film enhances the story thematically; from the wardrobe and sets to the creature design, there is an emphasis on machinery. The humans over rely on state-of-the-art weaponry, but as the story unfolds, they are no match for the power that the aliens harness.  

The concept of Edge of Tomorrow could have become a muddled nightmare had it fallen into the wrong hands. Thankfully, director Doug Liman’s fresh approach provides structure, clarity, and an entertaining self-awareness. The story stands out with a strong balance of sci-fi elements and human subjects. The idea of shredding up the same scenes and starting fresh is handled so tremendously, it is truly impressive how the writers avoid repetitiveness. Each “new” day feels like an exciting rebirth of the characters (mainly Cage) and builds context onto the plot. Cage may need to live the same day over again to survive, but this genre-bending action spectacle gets it right on the first try. Since its theatrical release ten years ago, Edge of Tomorrow has taken control over time and found a new life among audiences, both new and returning.