Dante Harper (Uncredited), Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Simon Kinberg (Uncredited), Hiroshi Sakurazaka (Writer of the Source Material)
How Long is It?
Edge of Tomorrow is 113 minutes long, including end credits.
What's It About?
"Edge of Tomorrow" is based on the Japanese Light Novel "All You Need is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The film centres around William Cage (Played by Tom Cruise), an army major drafted into a war between humans and an alien species called "Mimics". Placed on the front line with the misfit J Squad, he is killed in a crucial battle, but instead of dying, he wakes up at the start of the day, going through the battle again. Realising that he is stuck in a time-loop, Cage teams up with the war hero Rita Vrataski (Played by Emily Blunt), who had a similar experience during a previous campaign. Cage now has to use the knowledge and abilities he gains from his period in the time-loop to defeat the Mimics.
5 Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From "Edge of Tomorrow"
(The Following May Contain Spoilers)
Keep It Simple - One of the best things about Edge of Tomorrow is its plot, which is unique but easy to follow. It is a good example of a high-concept movie, taking two elements familiar from other films and merging them to make something different. The two elements Edge of Tomorrow uses are the Time Loop (most notably used in Groundhog Day and Source Code) and the War With Aliens (Most notably used in Aliens and Starship Troopers). Both tropes are effective on their own, and combining them is a good idea, as it allows emphasis on their shared aspects, such as the similarity of the time-loop to the ability to restart a video game when you lose. The mechanics of video games are rarely exploited in films, and this allows the combination of the Sci-Fi and War genres to be effective.
Edge of Tomorrow follows the Three-Act structure. The First Act depicts Cage being drafted into battle and fighting for the first time. The Second Act begins with him relieving the battle for the first time, and covers his period in the Time Loop. In the Third Act, Cage loses his ability to reset time, and has to use all the skills he has accumulated to defeat the Mimics in one last battle. This allows the story to be simple and coherent, and ensures that it can be understood by as many viewers as possible, in contrast to the complicated, confusing plots often seen in Sci-Fi action movies.
Develop Characters - Edge of Tomorrow is primarily focused on action. The only information we get about Cage and Vrataski are details that pertain directly to the plot, such as the fact that Cage can't stand the sight of blood and Vrataski was instrumental in a major victory for the humans due to her ability to reset the day of battle. Information about their past is generally omitted. The same thing applies to the antagonists- We never know for sure why the Mimics invade, and keeping it a mystery increases their threat.
In the few instances where a character's backstory is brought up, it is used to demonstrate how much Cage has learnt in the time-loop, and not to develop the characters. A particularly frustrating example of this is when Cage explains his secret to the members of the J Squad, and reveals that one of them has assumed the identity of a dead comrade and is fighting on his behalf. If the soldier and his relationship with Cage had been properly developed, then this interesting piece of information would have meant something, However, it is soon forgotten about. As a result of the focus on the action over the characters, the protagonists and supporting cast are not developed enough to be as interesting as they should be.
Use Scenery - The action in the first half of the the movie is mostly confined to the army's training base in Heathrow and the French beaches where the battle takes place. However, in the second half, a wider range of locations are used, such as London and Paris. They are depicted simply, but in a manner that conveys the effect of the war. London's inhabitants sit in pubs, waiting for the Mimics to arrive. The devastated remains of Paris provide a striking location for the film's climax. This makes the alien threat seem more plausible and threatening, as it creates an atmosphere of tension that could conceivably be felt in any war zone in today's world.
Whilst the locations are used effectively, the scenes in the French countryside at the middle of the film could have been more unique and spectacular. The action in this sequence includes a fight with a mimic atop a caravan, and a helicopter flying out of control in a small barn. Both of these set pieces could have been spectacular if they were extended. Props count as scenery too, and their potential should be exploited, especially in fights and chases
Play Fair - It is implied that Cage relieves the same day dozens of times, but for the sake of preserving audience interest, this is condensed to a series of montages where Cage repeatedly dies during a certain point in the day, such as the battle on the beach or his training sessions with Vrataski. However, as the story opens out, these montages are eliminated. In spite of this, it is implied that Cage relieves the various key moments in the second half of the second act over and over. When Cage and Vrataski meet the head of the human army, General Bingham (Played by Brendan Gleeson) to tell him what they now know about the Mimics, Cage reveals details that he has learned from reliving the meeting repeatedly. However, we don't see the previous attempts, and if not for Cage's comments, we wouldn't even know that there were any. This is a problem, as it cheats the audience out of scenes that could have emphasised the risks that Cage and Vrataski go through in revealing the information, and increased the tension and level of interest in the story.
Make It Seem Real - The opening sequence of Edge of Tomorrow is effective at setting up the story and the characters. Using a series of "Newscasts" from around the world, it depicts the initial invasion and the defeats and victories experienced by the human army. It introduces the protagonists (Cage and Vrataski) and the antagonists (The Mimics), quickly and concisely, and creates a feeling of realism and immediacy. This makes us interested to know what happens next.
The realism also extends to the rest of the film. The battle which Cage continually relives takes place in Normandy, the site of the Allied invasion of France in World War 2, and Vrataski used her ability to rest time in a battle at Verdun, the location of a number of key campaigns in World War 1. The use of locations associated with previous wars allows the conflict seen here to gain a greater significance. Whilst alien invasions are not likely of occurring in the real world, Edge of Tomorrow has to make the war with the Mimics seem realistic - the viewer has to imagine that this it what it would look like if aliens invaded for real. By using important events from the past to inspire its depiction of the near-future, the film succeeds in doing this.
Verdict
Edge of Tomorrow is a good example of an action-based summer blockbuster. It uses its relatively short runtime well, providing us with an engaging story and a number of intense battle scenes. Although the script was revised numerous times during production (Which is why the initial writer, Dante Harper, is uncredited) and the film underwent numerous reshoots, you wouldn't think that was the case watching the finished film, as it flows perfectly and is easy to understand. Although I think that the characters should have been better developed, this was still an enjoyable movie, and provides a number of good lessons on how to write an action-adventure film that is unique and unusual, whilst still providing a good amount of blockbuster entertainment.
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