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Blu-ray Review Edge of Tomorrow Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Citizen87645

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Cameron Yee
Edge of Tomorrow Blu-ray Review

No, you’re not caught in a time loop. This is indeed a third – almost entirely different – HTF review of Doug Liman’s sci-fi action film starring Tom Cruise as a soldier grappling with a major case of the deja vus.

Posted Image


Studio: Warner Brothers

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD, Other

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 1 Hr. 53 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 10/07/2014

MSRP: $35.99




The Production Rating: 4/5

Hostile aliens called Mimics have invaded Earth, occupying and controlling most of Europe. The United Defense Force (UDF), composed of the planet’s major powers, has managed to keep the creatures at bay thanks to exoskeleton technology that turns even the most inexperienced soldier into a living weapon. But inspiring hearts and minds is Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), whose astonishing kill count on a French battlefield has earned her the nickname “The Angel of Verdun” (and less officially, “The Full Metal Bitch”). The war effort’s propaganda machine, run by former advertising executive Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), doesn’t waste the opportunity, glamorizing Vrataski’s combat experience to fuel record enlistments.Puffed up by the accomplishment and his own sense of self-importance, Cage foolishly threatens General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), the supreme commander of the UDF, after he finds out he’s to be embedded on the front lines of Operation Downfall, the UDF’s Hail Mary attack on the Mimics. Arrested, charged with desertion and demoted to private, Cage wakes up to find himself the newest member of Master Sergeant Farell’s (Bill Paxton) squad of grunts gearing up to literally drop onto the field of battle. Not surprisingly, Cage is both scared senseless and ill prepared for combat, and dies within minutes of hitting the ground. However, his last, desperate attack on a Mimic grants him a seemingly limitless number of do-overs triggered each time he dies and picking up from the moment he first meets Farell. Unfortunately, Cage can’t seem to stay alive long enough to figure out why he’s caught in the loop, not to mention how to make his Sisyphean cycle of existence come to an end.Posted ImageEDGE OF TOMORROW by Warner Bros. Entertainment, on FlickrMost viewers of director Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow reference the Bill Murray comedy Groundhog’s Day, but I find the movie owes more of its inspiration to the action-adventure video game, where repeated attempts at getting from point “A” to “B” effectively give the gamer prescience about where to be and what to do to successfully navigate a level (and where getting yourself killed to start from scratch is a time honored strategy). If only Cruise’s character had the benefit of save points, then figuring out how to get through the Normandy-like beach invasion and stop his time loop experience would be so much easier, if not less maddening.Indeed, given the hundreds, if not thousands, of times Cage dies, respawns (to use a gaming term) and repeats talking to specific people and anticipating certain pitfalls, it’s surprising the character doesn’t completely lose his sh*t by the 20th failed attempt. By the end of the second act Cage does enter a kind of pit of despair (also known as a pub), but ultimately the script only has him skirt the borders of that dark territory, making the film practically faultless as a piece of sci-fi entertainment but not nearly as profound as it sometimes wants to be (and less than subtle allusions to World War II don't make the case any stronger).Casting Cruise as an arrogant PR hack cursed with repeatedly dying is a master stroke, however, leveraging the polarizing actor’s public persona as well as the schadenfreude of his most vocal critics; former Major William Cage may be Cruise’s most sympathetic and memorable character to come along in years. Conversely, making Blunt a sword-wielding combat heroine is a counterintuitive, though ultimately shrewd, casting decision considering how convincing she is with both the physical and dramatic demands. If there’s ever a follow-up to Edge of Tomorrow, let’s hope it’s a prequel, focusing on the Full Metal Bitch and her take-no-prisoners, battlefield exploits. Including Paxton as the Master Sergeant, considering how deftly he steals every scene, would be a major bonus.

Publicity Stills

Trailer


Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA

I’m admittedly a bit late to the party and my fellow reviewer Todd has done the heavy lifting for me in his evaluation ofEdge of Tomorrow’s 3D edition. For both video and audio, I can only say, “I heartily concur!”

“The 2D version, which can be viewed on the standard Blu-ray disc, is very close to reference material. Filmed in 35mm with Panavision and Arriflex cameras, the AVC-encoded 1080p transfer is faithful to the movie’s intended aspect ratio of 2.35:1. As expected of a big studio release, colors are consistent and well-saturated without ever blooming or bleeding, and contrast is spot on with nice deep blacks that never crush and bright whites that never clip. Detail is exquisite, as well, with every grain of sand flung up in the air and bead of sweat on an actor’s face visible."



Audio Rating: 5/5

“The 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is definitely my latest go-to disc to demo my sound system, even folded down to 5.1 by my Marantz SR5008 receiver. The battle sequences are immersive, with excellent placement of discrete surround effects and a very aggressive low-end that will give your subwoofer a good workout. Even with such an aggressive mix, dialogue remains clear and understandable, never getting drowned out by sound effects or music.”


Special Features Rating: 4/5

  • Operation Downfall
    • Adrenaline Cut (2:34, HD): Cage’s successful run across the beach in one, uninterrupted cut.
    • Storming the Beach (8:59, HD): A closer look at the design, planning and production of the film’s central military operation.
  • Creatures Not of this World (5:38, HD): Takes a look at the design and creation of the film’s alien beings.
  • On the Edge with Doug Liman (42:37, HD): Documentary piece follows the director through various phases of the production.
  • Deleted Scenes (7:38, HD)
  • DVD Copy
  • UltraViolet Digital Copy: Redeem by October 7, 2017.


Overall Rating: 4/5

Warner Home Video delivers an outstanding HD presentation for Edge of Tomorrow, an entertaining, if superficially profound, time travel yarn. Regardless, Tom Cruise plays one of his more sympathetic roles in some time, while Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton, as their respective characters, leave the viewer wanting more. The Blu-ray’s special features include some thorough glimpses behind the scenes as well as the de facto DVD and digital copy viewing options. It makes for a worthwhile release, especially for fans of the genre.


Reviewed By: Cameron Yee


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Mike Frezon

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:biggrin: Thanks, Cameron. Watched the 2-D Blu of this a week or so ago and really, really enjoyed it. Loved the parallels with Groundhog Day in the way the main characters dealt with their peculiar predicament. And the picture and sound were top notch, indeed!
 

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