Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: As humanity fights an alien invasion, a soldier discovers he can relive the same day over and over and hopes to change the outcome of the war.
Review: Well, Tommy-boy does it again, and, seriously, does this guy ever age?! Once more, I didn't read the book this film is based upon, but I've read over the differences; I should add "didn't read the book" to the disclaimer at this point due to how often I mention that. As others have stated numerous times, it is safe to say this film is essentially "Groundhog Day" meets "Oblivion," but people act as though that's a bad thing to be compared to; and come on, the main girl's name is Rita too--hard to ignore that shit! Besides, this film works the material in a different way to create a unique experience complementary to "Groundhog Day." Plus this made me really like Emily Blunt, and that's an accomplishment unto itself.
The story is mostly straightforward--mysterious aliens are invading earth and humans must defeat them. We meet Cage who is an officer in the US military, but his main purpose is public affairs whereby he tries to motivate others to join the war effort. When Cage is told he will be out in the battlefield for the main offensive against the aliens, he tries to weasel out of the situation. This leads to Cage being dropped, headfirst, in with the grunts who don't believe he's an actual officer. We clearly see Cage stands no chance, since he still doesn't know how to use his mech-suit (the main weapon humans use), even as he goes into battle. During the fight, everyone is obliterated including Rita, the ace fighter for the humans, but Cage manages to kill a weird looking alien before he too is killed. Due to this chance encounter, Cage has gained the main defensive ability of the aliens: the ability to rewind the day in order to adjust the outcome. It would appear this, time and space defying, ability is what makes the aliens seemingly unbeatable. In order to retain the power, Cage must die each day, but each time Cage dies, the aliens come closer to reclaiming their ability.
As Cage relives the day numerous times, he starts to memorize various aspects in order to survive and change things up. On one particular day, Cage saves Rita and she understands what is happening to him since it also happened to her. When Cage relives the day again, he meets with Rita and the two begin to train in the hope to make Cage strong enough to defeat the aliens as he's their only real hope. Over time, Cage does become an expert fighter just as Rita must have done when she had the power. With the help of a scientist, Cage and Rita try to kill the heart, if you will, of the aliens--the only way to truly overcome the aliens. After much shenanigans to kill this Omega, as they call it, Cage ends up losing the power which leaves them with one final chance to defeat the aliens. Since this is Hollywood, it should come as no shock that they do indeed defeat the aliens. Although all the main characters did die during the final struggle, they end up revived when Cage is able to reset the day one more time despite the aliens' defeat.
I was genuinely impressed by how much simply worked within this film. The story has a nice cohesion, pace, and sense of progression that keeps you engaged. "Groundhog Day" is an incredible film, and adding a new spin on that concept is welcomed in my book...as long as it's done right. The quirky characters provide an added layer of depth that makes it fun to see them in action. I know some were annoyed that there was a slight romance between Cage and Rita, but I was thoroughly engrossed with the two of them; and it wasn't anywhere near as dramatic as they could have made it. Tommy-boy and Ms. Blunt had great chemistry, and I wanted to see them get together! While on the topic, the acting was great and felt believable from all the players. The concept behind the aliens was interesting as well since they weren't really fighting the humans as much as they were simply killing them for getting in the way. The book goes into more detail regarding the aliens' motivation, but the movie did imply that this probably happened to other worlds in the universe. Speaking of which, the book had a far different and somber ending, but I do so love my Hollywood endings despite this; I can't get enough of the Cage and Rita dynamics! Lastly, the action is solid with the sci-fi version of WWII approach.
While there may be a lot to love here, I do have a few grievances that hold the film back. As much as I love Tommy-boy, they could have kept the lead as Japanese since plenty of the other characters in the book weren't Japanese anyway. In other words, I can understand making everyone in "The Ring" American since the original characters were all Japanese, but in a book full of varying ethnicity, this was unnecessary. The whole altering time thing is questionable for me since it relies on a few key aliens, and it would make no sense to send them into battle if their death could screw up the whole scheme. Connected to this is the ending not making full sense. I thought the day would reset and Cage and crew would fight the aliens one more time knowing what to do, but, instead all the humans are revived but not the aliens? Yeah, okay. And finally, Cage's durability in the attack on the Omega is a bit outlandish considering the film's prior sense of realism. This wouldn't have stood out so badly if it weren't for the film specifically showing us Cage easily breaking bones and such.
Overall, this was a great film that became overshadowed by its similarity to "Oblivion" when first released. Hopefully viewers can discover this gem, because it was better than most of the shit released this past summer. There are a few flaws that stop the filming from being completely amazing, but they are subjective complaints. The general experience of the film is fantastic with all the right elements coming together to provide a compelling story. Tommy-boy is at his finest, and those who enjoy his brand of action will undoubtedly be entertained. Definitely check this one out!
Notable Moment: When Nance and Cage say the same line of dialogue at the same time, and Nance says "jinx." So cornball but it got a laugh out of me.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
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