Synopsis: Cage(Tom Cruise) is caught in a time loop in a battle to defeat an alien invasion and only Rita (Emily Blunt) can help him use the anomaly to try and save the world.
Stan's thoughts: Was always going to see this as I happened to be in town the day they were filming the helicopter landing in Trafalgar Square sequence. Most of the side streets were cordoned off but had enough of a view to see a bit of what was going on, if not Mr Cruise himself.
And, 'I was there' aside this is an interesting action block buster. It's great to see a female character kicking ass and leading things. Who wouldn't enjoy watching Tom Cruise get shot in the head over and over by a woman? Of course Hollywood couldn't resist 'a kiss' which did have me rolling my eyes but I'll forgive it as they could have made a much bigger meal of a romantic liaison.
What particularly made this a satisfying action thriller is that you actually get a sense of what is going on amid all the chaos of battle (probably helped by the time loop). I normally quickly lose sight of who is attacking who and feel disengaged from the 'heros', while the battles are chaotic in this, you do get a sense of how it feels being down on the ground and that isn't something often achieved in films (Children of Men is a good example of it being done well).
It is an interesting premise too, think of it as Groundhog Day - the alien invasion, and all sorts of interesting acting talent pops up, part of the fun is thinking 'ooh there's...'
The film-makers should also get a pat on the back for not over indulging and keeping it under two hours long; too many films are more than two hours and most rarely need to be.
Good, frothy, well-made fun.
Ratings
- Stan’s 78%
- IMDB 82%
- Metascore 71%
- Rotten Tomatoes 90%
- RT Audience Rating* 92%
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* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher
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