Time Writer | Minamino
Cult movie gluttony.
Hollywood doesn't seem to be able to produce high-quality popcorn action movies, and this has been especially evident in recent years. But ten years ago, it wasn't so bad. A blockbuster film that blends elements of science fiction, action and romance, neither letting the action scenes become indiscriminate bombardment, nor making the sci-fi setting suspended and boring.
Although it did not perform well at the box office that year, as time passed, more and more fans realized its preciousness, combining the coolness of a popcorn movie with the imagination of a sci-fi action movie seamlessly! Edge of Tomorrow
This is "Edge of Tomorrow" starring Tom · Cruise and Emily · Blunt.
Today, it has a whopping 91% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, and news about the sequel has new trends almost every year. In 2022, the disc dealer also released a 4K Blu-ray version of the film to satisfy the fanatical love of veteran fans.
Today's [Old Films, New Looks], Time Jun talks about how this movie from ten years ago was born? Where is it classic?
Lost the box office and won word of mouth
The story of "Edge of Tomorrow" is not original, but comes from "Killing Reincarnation" by Japan novelist Hiroshi Sakurasaka. After the latter was published in 2004, it was first a huge hit in Japan, and then introduced by Viz Media, which had a great impact in the United States.
Hollywood heard the wind, Warner Pictures spent $3 million, bought the script adapted from "Killing Reincarnation", and invited Doug · Liman, who directed "Spy Heavy" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", as the director.
As for the choice of the leading actor, it was not Tom Brother at the beginning, but Brad · Pitt, who was in the limelight. After Pete refused, Warner approached Cruise.
At that time, Cruise was experiencing a career crisis, and the box office of "Hitler", "Dangerous Agent" and "Detective Jack" starring him were not satisfactory, and they did not even exceed $100 million in North America.
Cruise desperately needs a big production outside of the "Mission Impossible" series to re-prove his box office appeal.
After getting this opportunity, Cruise wanted Emily · Blunt to play the female lead, and the latter's graceful ballet posture in "Destiny Planning Bureau" impressed Cruise. After all, Rita in "Edge of Tomorrow" is most prominent in her athletic skills.
For Cruise, what he wants is to regain his glory; For Blunt, it's a transformation of the screen image. For this reason, both of them suffered a lot in the shooting.
In order to become the "Valkyrie" on the battlefield, Blunt trained intensively for three months, including weightlifting, sprinting, yoga and gymnastics, as well as real martial arts, such as Krav Maga in Israel.
The push-up scene in the film still makes many fans talk about it.
In the process of filming, the two had to wear mecha props that were dozens or even hundreds of pounds larger. Not only that, but they also have to show a light body and agile killing moves, which is undoubtedly a serious challenge.
But the sweat did not pay off the expected box office. "Edge of Tomorrow" invested a whopping $180 million and spent more than $100 million on global promotion, but the film only earned $370 million, and even with the revenue from TV on demand and DVDs, which did well, it barely paid for itself. Contrary to the box office performance, the film has a pretty good reputation. "Variety", "The Hollywood Reporter", and "The Los Angeles Times" all praised it, calling it "an ambitious sci-fi action movie."
Now that you look closely, the contrast between "Edge of Tomorrow" at the box office and word-of-mouth is actually not difficult to understand. The slightly brain-burning sci-fi setting and the exquisite and meticulous plot arrangement make it more charming in the second and third brushes; But for audiences who just want to experience the visual bombardment in theaters, it is indeed not as simple and crude as the "Transformers" series.
This is a high-end cool film!
The sense of luxury of "Edge of Tomorrow" lies in the layering of the popcorn film, and every change in the plot will produce new ideas.
The story of the film unfolds with a catastrophic montage of aliens suddenly descending on Earth and countries forming a united army to resist this mysterious and powerful force.
Among them, Cage, a military public relations key player played by Tom · Cruise, appeared in the news inconspicuously.
Director Doug · Liman did not let Cage appear like Tony · Stark in "Iron Man", or Ethan · Hunter in the "Mission Impossible" series, in order to highlight Cage's identity as a politician and hide his heroic attributes.
So, when the military commander sends Cage to the front line to fight the alien forces with ordinary soldiers, Cage shows the timidity of a refined egoist. To put it bluntly, he only wants to make a windfall by selling mecha in the war, and has no interest in saving humanity.
And when he triumphantly threatens the commander, thinking that he has escaped, in the next scene, he becomes a private who has been robbed of his identity and appears in the hierarchical barracks. So, no matter how Cage explains, he is about to become cannon fodder in a brutal battle, and no one cares.
This can't help but remind people of Doug · Liman's masterpiece "Spy", in which Matt · Damon play Jason · Bourne is an outcast who has lost his identity and is coldly persecuted by senior intelligence officials.
And when Cage, who was powerless, was instantly killed by aliens on the battlefield, he came back to life and returned to the moment when he became a private. Wronged, humiliated, and sacrificed, Cage goes through it all over again in an inexplicable state. It wasn't until he met the heroine Rita and, under the guidance of the latter, understood the law that he had the ability to regenerate in cycles, and how to defeat the aliens.
This kind of plot should not be unfamiliar to many people, and in the more classic sci-fi film "The Matrix", we have already learned it: Cage is like Neo played by Keanu · Reeves, and Rita is like Trinity played by Carey Ann · Moss.
Cage needs to destroy the alien lair and free himself from the cycle, just as Neo has to defeat the "Mother" and free humanity from control.
From the timid egoist at the beginning, to the little people whose fate is controlled by invisible black hands, and then to the savior who is dictated by fate, "Edge of Tomorrow" uses quiet plot changes to make the characters' personalities twists and turns, so that the audience can quickly empathize with the hero's experience.
This is the advanced interpretation of cool films, and it is also the reason why it can make people enter the play quickly.
Because it can let go of posture and accommodate the dark side of cunning and despicable human nature, so that even the most unbearable audience can take on the role. But it also shows miracles in a brilliant way, allowing the audience to feel the psychological motivation of heroes to become heroes in the shackles of fate in the Sisyphean style.
And this is what the vast majority of Hollywood action movies today lack.
Cycle fate and mecha action
Of course, the reason why "Edge of Tomorrow" is regarded as a classic, and the more important gimmick is still the cyclic rebirth and mecha action it focuses on.
It's not uncommon in movies to have the protagonist constantly rebooting at a certain point in his life.
The classic "The Day of the Groundhog" is about how people can break through the lack of life itself and rediscover the excitement of life after reaching middle age; And the slightly terrifying "Butterfly Effect" laments the inevitability of fate and the chaos after arbitrary interference. As for the Japan movie "Crazy Monday" released in China some time ago, it is undoubtedly a spicy satire on the morbid overtime phenomenon through the loop setting.
But in any case, most of the circular settings in these movies point to the same theme and express the same kind of emotions. And "Edge of Tomorrow" is much richer and more interesting.
The initial cyclical rebirth is intended to show Cage's confusion and curiosity; After being instructed by Rita on the battlefield, the cycle of death has become a kind of comedy joke. And when Rita trains Cage and improves the latter's combat effectiveness, the alternation of rebirth and death seems to have the flavor of a Hong Kong kung fu movie.
Rita wields a knife in the training room like a master, while Cage is like a beginner apprentice who sprains his waist if he dodges a little. Liu Jialiang's "Shaolin Thirty-six Rooms" and Jackie Chan's "Drunken Fist" are all like this. Cage and Rita count their steps to avoid alien mimics, so why not move in kung fu movies?
And the most striking loop setting is undoubtedly the bridge where the two break through the line of fire and hide in a deserted house.
Cage was at a complete loss for Rita, but he knew her life habits, life experiences, and even the eyes projected by her were full of love, and at this time, we suddenly realized like Rita. It turned out that the two had been to the deserted house many times, and they had countless intimate relationships.
Anyone who has watched Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West" will be reminded of the Supreme Treasure when he keeps crossing and encounters Bai Jingjing again, because of Cage's affectionate glance.
Therefore, this kind of cyclical flavor that is not tired of watching makes the rebirth and death in "Edge of Tomorrow" not only like playing a game, full of refreshingness, but also has extremely delicate emotional changes.
Another highlight that has to be mentioned is naturally the film's innovation in the genre of mecha action movies.
The so-called mecha action movies, such as "Pacific Rim" and "Iron Fist", the human body is completely wrapped in mecha and will not show up; There are also things like "Avatar" and "Tomorrow's War", where the mecha is just an "exoskeleton suit" that increases the strength and intensity of the controller.
Edge of Tomorrow undoubtedly falls into the latter category, with both Cage and Rita using mechs to greatly enhance their agility in battle.
However, it is worth mentioning that although the mecha in the film is a real thing, not CG special effects, these equipment weighing hundreds of pounds will not really generate kinetic energy, but are just metal brackets. Therefore, when Cruise and Blount performed, they needed to try their best to interpret the auxiliary effects brought by the mecha.
From a visual point of view, "Edge of Tomorrow" obviously achieves a rough and realistic texture. Whether it is Cage's more mellow skills in the training room, or he and Rita in the actual combat process, the alien mimic beast slashing and slashing heartily, they are all sharp and natural, without disobedience, and skillfully blend the smoothness of real human movements with the thickness of the mecha shell.
The ups and downs at the level of literary drama, coupled with the crispness and novelty of the martial arts scenes, made "Edge of Tomorrow" finally become a classic popcorn blockbuster.
Although over the years, news about the sequel has been released, director Doug · Liman and actress Emily · Blunt have expressed their willingness to join several times, and even the script for the sequel has been completed.
But the key is, can 62-year-old Tom · Cruise still perform high-intensity action scenes like he did back then? And now he can only rely on old IPs like the "Mission Impossible" series, can he still raise the same funds as he did back then?
These problems are the fundamental reasons why the sequel to "Edge of Tomorrow" has not been determined for a long time!
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