Edge of Tomorrow (10/6/2014)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton

Directed by Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity, Swingers)

Edge of Tomorrow is Groundhog Day meets War of the Worlds meets The Source Code…and it’s fantastic.

The epic action of Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

TODD’S WORD: Directed by Doug Liman, the film is based on a Japanese novel called “All You Need is Kill.” But your average moviegoer won’t know that. And quiet honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Liman takes the obscure novel and directs one of the smartest action sci-fi films of the year.

JONATHAN’S WORD: I agree. I hadn’t read the novel and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

TODD’S WORD: Tom Cruise once again shows why he’s still a huge movie star and Emily Blunt offers solid support. The rest of the cast, including Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson, play their over-the-top characters perfectly.

JONATHAN’S WORD: Yeah… Tom Cruise is an interesting guy. His offscreen antics often deter people from liking his films. My wife didn’t even want to see this film because, “I’m not a Tom Cruise fan.” Sad, because he’s really done some great films. Tom’s performance in Edge of Tomorrow is really solid.

TODD’S WORD: I agree. And his role wasn’t easy. In fact, at first he’s quite detestable. Cruise plays the arrogant military PR man who has never been trained for battle, let alone been in combat. He’s snide and frankly… cowardly.

JONATHAN’S WORD: And that’s where the movie gets good. We see his character slowly develop as he relives each moment. He adapts and learns.
He captures the essence of the metamorphosis of one’s character when put to the test. You’ll detest his character when the film begins, and by the end you’ll find him comfortingly redeemable.

TODD’S WORD: What makes this film so enjoyable is watching Cage learn, develop and change as a person as well as the “Scientific explanation” for the looping.

JONATHAN’S WORD: It was one of those films where I found myself asking, “What would I do?” Cruise gave us a hero we could live through vicariously.

TODD’S WORD: For those who like plenty of action…

JONATHAN’S WORD: …woven into a compelling story…

TODD’S WORD: You’ll love Edge of Tomorrow. I thought it was “Theater Worthy.”

JONATHAN’S WORD: Me too.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex and just a brief shot of a man’s buttocks. There is one (unfinished) f-word, four s-words, and a handful of other profanities.

Mostly this film was rated PG-13 because of the sci-fi violence that is intense and relentless.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. How does Cage finally defeat the aliens?


2. Imagine if you had to live today over and over. What would you do differently?


3. What would you learn from your mistakes?

Read Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.


4. What does this passage teach us about learning from our mistakes?


5. What can you do this week to press on toward the goal?