Edge Of Tomorrow (2014/Live Die Repeat/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD)

Picture: A/B- Sound: A/B- Extras: B Film: A-

NOTE: This review pertains to the 2D release and not the 3D (which is also available)

One of this year's best Science Fiction/Action films is director Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt (who has never looked better in my opinion). The film has some of the best digital effects, costumes, and production design seen in recent history (the aliens are creepy and unlike anything we have seen before surprisingly) and a fast paced story along with the rarity of great character development.

Based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, the film draws inspiration from some previous works such as Starship Troopers (more the book than the Verhoven film), Source Code and Groundhog Day (with the idea of the same day repeating over and over), and perhaps even a cue or two from Cruise's previous sci-fi efforts War of The Worlds and Oblivion. The only odd thing about this home video release is that it's one of the first times I've ever seen a studio basically change/modify the title of the film for the Blu-ray. In theaters the film was simply known as Edge of Tomorrow but now its being referred to as Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow - either way this movie I feel is going to only grow appreciation over time and is really an impressive accomplishment. It found a wider audience in a foreign market than it did in America but hopefully that will change now with this exciting home video release.

Minor Spoilers ahead:

The film takes place in the near future, where an alien race known as the Mimics have invaded the Earth and defeated the world's military units. It follows Major William Cage (Cruise), a military PR officer inexperienced in combat, who is deployed into a combat mission against the aliens unwillingly after he blackmails General Brighman (Brendan Gleeson) with the threat of exposing him through public relations. Waking up in handcuffs at a military operating center named Heathrow (the famed airport converted?), Cage discovers he has been labeled a deserter and put on combat duty for the invasion under the command of Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton).

Though Cage is killed in minutes on the trenches of combat, he finds himself starting over in a time loop after killing a large Mimic and getting sprayed by its acid-like blood. He suddenly begins repeating the same mission and being killed each time, but soon Cage learns to better fight the aliens, and he teams up with Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt) who recognizes his ability to anticipate events and tells him to locate her the next time he wakes up.

Cage finds Vrataski at Heathrow and together they meet up with Dr. Carter (Noah Taylor), a former government scientist and expert in Mimic biology. Cage learns that the kind of Mimic he killed in his first loop, an Alpha, resets time when it is killed to give the Mimics an advantage in battle. Cage inherited this ability when he was doused in the Alpha's blood as they both died. Vrataski had this ability in a previous battle but lost it after receiving a blood transfusion. She tells Cage that they must hunt the Mimics' hive mind, the Omega, and hit the enemy at its source. Only project is that the only way to see the Omega is by inheriting visions of its current whereabouts by way of repeated death. From here, the film gets even more intense as the search for the Omega turns Cage into a hardened badass with the ability to know what's coming next.

I won't ruin the end of the film for you but I will say that you will not be disappointed!

The image transfer and sound on this disc are really breath taking. Warner has really done a great job with all of the details on the digital effects that really sell its realism. Presented in 1080p high definition and the widescreen aspect ratio is preserved at 2.40:1 from the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The Audio is glorious with a sharp lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) 7.1 track with additional options of French, Spanish, and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Subtitles on the disc are in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Total Running Time for the film clocks in around 113 minutes. The set includes a Blu-ray disc, DVD that's at a high quality for the format (with a lossy Dolby Digital track that doesn't come close to the DTS), and an Ultra Violet Digital copy.

There are three different editions of the film coming out for the American market: the 3 Disc (3D and 2D Blu and DVD set), a 3 disc Target Exclusive Steelbook, and a 1- disc Best Buy exclusive (BD only) version.

Special features on the disc are pretty awesome and include:

Operation Downfall

Adrenaline Cut

Storming The Beach

Weapons Of The Future

Creatures Not Of This World

On The Edge With Director Doug Liman

Deleted Scenes

In this humble Sci-Fi fan's opinion, Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow is a repeat watch for sure. A huge accomplishment in directing and digital effects and is on the same level with many classics in the genre James Cameron or Steven Spielberg could have easily made this film, by that I mean it is that quality standard of Sci-fi outing. A highly recommended release from Warner, I'm very happy to have this film in my collection with this edition that captures the excitement and presentation on Blu-ray disc to as high of a standard as one could ask for the format.

- James Harland Lockhart V

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv