Have you ever seen the trailer for a film and found it completely acceptable without being particularly motivated to really want to see the movie it's promoting? As happened earlier this year with the other Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle,
Oblivion, his latest,
Edge of Tomorrow, looks to be completely acceptable and competent in its execution, but will ultimately serve as a forgettable piece of popcorn entertainment. I hate to make that assumption from a mere two and a half minutes of footage, but while director Doug Liman (
The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) seems to have created a visually gripping science fiction epic the story seems to hinge on the same premise that made
Groundhog Day and even
Source Code interesting. Can it be repeated? I don't know if it's simply the generic name or the lack of any real moment that defined why I need to see this film being present in the trailer, but I hope this feeling of some aspect being absent is completely shattered when I see the final film. I did like the tone of the trailer and much of that has to do with the choice of song and how it plays up the grounded and gritty aspects of the art direction while implying the weight of the circumstances these characters are placed in. There is potential here, I can easily admit that as Cruise seems to have turned his movie-star skills up to an eleven for this role and has hopefully turned in both a physically and emotionally invested performance (I think if the trailer makes one thing clear it is the physical investment is covered). He is also joined by a tough-looking Emily Blunt who is playing anything but the damsel in distress and instead seems to have the upper hand on Cruise's character in helping him figure out the rules of his situation and how to make it all worth the effort. Based on the Japanese light novel
All You Need Is Kill the film also stars Bill Paxton, Laura Pulver, Jeremy Piven and opens on June 6, 2014.
