An alien force has invaded Europe and armed combat in full effect. A pencil pushing officer, William Cage (Cruise) is stripped of his rank and thrust against his will into combat with the troops. Not long into battle he is killed, but finds himself thrust back a day to relive the next 24 hours on a loop. He is killed again and again and the day keeps resetting. It isn’t long before he wises-up to what is going on and hooks up with Emily Blunt’s hardened battle veteran and the two set about training and figuring out how to defeat their enemy.
The effects and action sequences are terrific. The 12A rating manages to keep the film as bloodless as possible. Most of the characters’ deaths are not very gory, instead resulting in a sudden cut to black, or shot of Cage waking up again on his next go around. But the rapidity of the days elements, the use of repetition, alteration and still having the ability to surprise you along the way is where the film gets most of its energy from.
Bill Paxton steals early moments of the film as the sergeant in charge of the troops Cruise is thrust into. There is otherwise a fairly forgettable rag-tag of allies there, just as loud, boisterous and annoying as your typical military goons in movies.
Christopher McQuarrie is back with Cruise once again on script duties and we suspect is responsible for a lot of the films wise cuts and focus changes along the way. Their track record is for the best part fairly thusfar and continuing next year with the next Mission: Impossible.
The extras include various featurettes on the battle sequences, creatures and weapons of the future. There is also a few deleted scenes and a lengthy production diary from the perspective of the director. The sound and picture quality are top notch so will make for a valuable and very entertaining lu-ray experience.
Steven Hurst