After the success of Top Gun: Maverick, it’s nice to revisit one of the more underappreciated gems in the embodiment of what it means to be a movie star that is Tom Cruise. He and director Doug Liman joined forces in 2014 and released Edge of Tomorrow. That mind-blowing science-fiction powder keg has been given the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 4K Ultra High-Def upgrade and it is something to behold.
Upon its release on May 28, 2014, expectations were somewhat low, especially considering the film’s pedigree. Slowly, but surely, it rocked past the $100 million mark and became the superstar’s biggest hit—until Maverick soared over a billion with a “B.” There was something about Cruise, paired with Emily Blunt, in this situation—repeatedly—all overseen by the guy who gave us some Bourne movies that collectively rocked our world. Witnessing it on 4K takes a sci-fi classic to whole new levels of awesomeness.
The Movie Mensch likes to borrow and twist the film’s tagline to illustrate our sentiments towards Edge of Tomorrow. “Live. Die. Repeat.” is more like, “Watch. Breathe. Repeat.”
The flick was written by Christopher McQuarrie (who would team with Cruise on a couple of indies that start with the phrase Mission: Impossible.), Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. One can easily tell that Liman’s stunning story is woven from a book. It has a richness that proved to be absolutely required given the premise of a soldier having to relive the same day over and over as he perishes, again and again. Coaching him is Blunt’s Rita. How the English actress gets from “I don’t know you” to “I believe you”—repeatedly—is handled with such grace and believability.
Edge of Tomorrow has the benefit of two cinematic elements that alone could have added up to a blockbuster—Cruise and Blunt’s chemistry and a rich and gripping story. The fact that Liman (another element is certainly the maestro conducting this symphony of sci-fi) had all of that to work with has every frame popping with brilliance.
Cruise plays a warrior from the future who enters a battle (with varying grades of enthusiasm) to attempt to rescue the planet from alien occupiers. The invaders are ever so close to taking over our world when Cruise dies within minutes of landing on the beach. Then, Cruise awakes at the beginning of the day, and something tell us that this day will not conclude until he “gets it right.”
He awakes. He fights. He dies. He awakes… Cruise’s Cage must discern how to correctly tackle the day. He keenly knows that it holds the key to the survival of humanity. Blunt has quite a bit to do with Cage’s success, as they learn from failures.
Joining Blunt and Cruise in the global ensemble of Edge of Tomorrow is Bill Paxton (Aliens), Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), Noah Taylor (Lawless), Kick Gurry (Australian TV’s Tangle), Dragomir Mrsic (Snabba Cash II), Charlotte Riley (World Without End), Jonas Armstrong (BBC TV’s Robin Hood), Franz Drameh (Attack the Block), Masayoshi Haneda (Emperor) and Tony Way (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for Edge of Tomorrow is one impressive improvement on something that was already stellar.
In terms of the visual, there is a crispness to the film that Liman achieved before the advent of 4K Ultra HD. So, one can imagine what eye candy awaits old and new fans of the film. This is largely, a grim film—and its visual tone reflects that. With the upgrade to 4K, the stark differences between greys and whites truly pop. Let’s put it this way: The Edge of Tomorrow 4K makes your TV look good. The Ultra HD also adds layers to the resonance of the film as the experience of being in this landscape in 4K exponentially reverberates throughout the entire endeavor.
What’s fascinating about Ultra HD 4K, as well, is that it further spotlights how film is a director’s medium. Many of the decisions made that make Edge of Tomorrow Edge of Tomorrow has to do with choices Liman made both sonically and visually. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith helmer took it to a whole new level with his 2014 entry. We’ve witnessed how this filmmaking experience specifically honed his skills to a level where he could make a lockdown thrilling (2021’s Locked Down).
The bonus features for the Edge of Tomorrow 4K match the film itself in terms of intensity and purpose and stokes the creative fire that was experiencing the film. Sure, there’s nothing new here that wasn’t included in a previous Blu-ray release. But enjoying them took on a different note after the 4K undertaking.
On The Edge With Doug Liman takes us inside the crazily creative process of the film’s director who has had great success previously but has truly outdone himself in the cinematic department on many levels with Edge of Tomorrow. After witnessing this documentary short on the film’s director, we cannot wait to see what he does next.
Storming The Beach explores that actual battle scene that is the one that Cruise must repeat over and over before he moves further into his adventure. It recalls the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, except if the Nazis were aliens that were a thousand times more merciless.
Weapons of the Future is another gem of a bonus feature in that this film feels like it is of the near future, so Liman and his team went to great lengths to ensure that the weapons they had their futuristic soldiers use look like something that could be relatable to today, but still just out of our reach of technological possibilities. Watching how they came up with these Weapons of the Future is nothing short of utterly fascinating.
And since this is an alien invasion movie, filmmakers sought to create interstellar invaders that were unlike any that audiences have seen before. Given all that has come before, that is a monumental task, and how they achieved it is chronicled in the outstanding Creatures Not Of This World.
You’ll want to check out Operation Downfall – Adrenaline Cut as it gives the viewer a slightly different take on the entire experience. Yet it still firmly sits in downtown Doug Liman. Note how the filmmaker has pumped up an already epinephrine-filled film with even more layers of thrills. Liman’s cut… it might just knock the wind out of you!
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B+