Something to watch tonight: Friday 29 November
Edge of Tomorrow (Liman, 2014)
Publisher’s Note
Before we celebrate 10 years1 of one of the most beloved action sci-fi films of the modern era, I’ve got a few housekeeping notes.
Firstly, the editor-in-chief wishes to point out that she is Editor-in-Chief, not copy editor and therefore not responsible for stupid autocorrect errors like turning “Lin-Manuel” into “Lin-Manual” yesterday. Indeed, she is not responsible for any typos or other errors, but wishes I was better at spotting them than I am.
Secondly, it is already Friday in Aotearoa New Zealand and many retailers are offering Black Friday deals. We would rather you spent your Black Friday dollars on independent media and quality cultural discourse than disposable plastic tat from overseas, so we are offering a special 50% discount on full year subs for the next three days. Click the button below to take advantage.
Thirdly, if you are a subscriber in Christchurch (tonight), Wellington (Saturday), Devonport Auckland (next Wednesday) and CBD Auckland (next Friday), you should absolutely check out friend-of-the-newsletter Doug Dillaman’s new film Gut Instinct. These are not so much film screenings as film experiences, featuring a little bit of audience interactivity as well as typically thoughtful Q&A sessions with Doug (sometimes with the film’s narrator, Sarah Watt).
Gut Instinct is the story of how all of the ills of the world are being caused by alien bacteria colonising our insides, encouraging us to make short-term dopamine promoting decisions because that is how they feed. It takes the form of a breezy onboarding documentary, welcoming the audience to a post-apocalyptic detoxification facility where a lucky few are to be freed from the tyranny of their microscopic overlords.
Constantly surprising and often very funny, Gut Instinct is a genuine big screen, audience pleasing, experience and destined to be a cult classic. Check out more at the website, where you’ll find details of how to book for the forthcoming roadshow screenings.
You can also read this interview with Doug from Chris Philpott’s Substack, Ephemeral, which features the full story of how this deliciously indie endeavour came to be.
Looking (or rather listening) back on my original review of Edge of Tomorrow, I realise that I was a bit equivocal. I had no idea then that the film would become one of my favourites, that I would own at least one copy – and now there is a 4K UHD version, probably two copies – or that it would become something of a touchstone in modern action filmmaking.
It has yet to spawn a sequel, for a start. It hasn’t kicked off a franchise or a cinematic universe. Edge of Tomorrow is blessedly a standalone adventure and, fittingly for a film about re-experiencing the same events over and over again, it stands up to rewatching.
Cruise plays a cynical PR guy attempting to recruit soldiers for a global war against alien invaders. Sent unwillingly to the front line, he buys it on his first trip out of the chopper but then wakes up to start the fateful day all over again.
At the time, I thought that I’d been quite insightful by identifying the parallels with gaming culture – constantly learning and practising, then dying and respawning, until you conquer your goals. Turns out, though, those parallels are plenty obvious and even more so today.
Emily Blunt is a super soldier and propaganda figurehead for the war, whose job it is to coach Cruise into becoming an effective alien-battler and, of course, a better version of himself. This was her action movie debut and she absolutely nails it – a great performance.
Costume designs for Edge of Tomorrow are by Wellington-born Kate Hawley, who visited with Kailey and I at the Rancho Notorious podcast back in 2014 to talk about working with Mr. Cruise, as well as Guillermo Del Toro on films like Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak. Fast forward 33 minutes to hear that interview.
I reviewed Edge of Tomorrow for RNZ’s Nine to Noon and, listening back, I recall that the box office narrative at the time was that it was a shocking failure for Cruise and that the young adult romance The Fault in Our Stars was absolutely killing it at the box office. I wonder how many people are watching that one ten years on.
Where to watch Edge of Tomorrow
Aotearoa: Streaming on Netflix, Prime Video and TVNZ+ (free with ads)
Australia: Streaming on Netflix, Prime Video and Stan
Canada: Streaming on Starz
Ireland & UK: Streaming on SkyNow
India: Streaming on Netflix
USA: Digital rental
For some reason, I’ve been seeing people on social media today acting like it’s the tenth anniversary of Edge of Tomorrow when it was actually released in May 2014. I should do more research before just jumping on the bandwagon like that.