2015 Hugo Awards Best Movie: Reviewing Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow, screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth, directed by Doug Liman (Village Roadshow, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment; Viz Productions)

Love the opening setup of the situation. Tom Cruise is well cast, mostly because I believe him as a cowardly ass. Reluctant warrior, homage to Aliens (dude, Hicks!), War of the Worlds, Starship Troopers and even hints of Akira, references to WWII and the Gulf Wars.

I like that he cycles from independent not-hero to collaborative hero. His shift back to independent while maintaining the hero aspect is interesting but more interesting is his new-found desire for collaboration. It’s particularly neat how the landscapes he fights within change as his character arcs.

Altogether a fun little movie, well handled and nicely plotted. I haven’t watched it, wasn’t planning to, but am happy I did. I will probably rewatch it before I decide how it stacks up against the other movie nominees.