Check out our review of this big ticket sci-fi action thriller that stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt pitted against a devastating enemy and a race against time that will take them to the brink. Their only hope lies in the replay of time, their reliance on one another and the secret they discover in a stronghold deep behind enemy lines.
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/3D Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
96
Details:
Studio and Year: Warner - 2014
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 113 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi/Action
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC/MVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, Spanish/French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDG, Spanish, French
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Directed by: Doug Liman
Music by: Christophe Beck
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: October 7, 2014
"Live. Die. Repeat "
My Take:
“Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
I saw the teaser trailer for Edge of tomorrow/ months before its release and made a mental note, ‘looks too good to pass up’. It seemed like lots of time passed and every now and again I found myself wondering whatever happened to that Tom Cruise/Emily Blunt flick? Then I saw the theatrical trailer when the release was only a few weeks out and a trip to the theater was set for opening weekend. I have said it before and it bears repeating again, like him or not, there is no denying Tom Cruise’s dedication to his craft and his penchant for making entertaining big budget action films. Edge of tomorrow is no exception and is just plain good old fashioned popcorn fun from beginning to end.
Conceptually speaking there is nothing original about the storyline as its elements surrounding time bending, alien invasion, and man’s fight for survival against a formidable foe have been done before. Based on the novel “All you need is kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, what we get here is a solidly crafted script, that develops the story’s layer peeling elements while maintaining an engaging balance between the action, suspense, thrills and wonderfully integrated levity. I like the fact that while there are hints of romance within the plot it doesn’t really ever become the focus but remains a contributing factor that motivates.
The action and thrills are palpable but what makes this rewarding is the evolution of the narrative as we see with every iteration how the construct pushes each forward while adding more depth to the central character of Cage and delineating the relationships between him and those around him. By the time you’re at a point where it has built to the final stage you’re immersed in the story and understand that it can really only have one outcome or can it? The ending was a little trite but you know what? I don’t care because it’s exactly what I’d hoped it would be and really took nothing away from the film. The production elements are all that you would expect from a big budget Tom Cruise flick and add to the entertainment factor. Speaking of which Emily Blunt knocks it out of the park and holds her own in every scene with Tom Cruise. I thoroughly enjoyed Edge of tomorrow both in the theater and during this revisit on Blu-ray.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
- Low frequency extension * (non-rated element):
3D Presentation: 92
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Depth (Onscreen):
- Dimension (Beyond the screen):
- Realism:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
Edge of Tomorrow 3D comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring 1080p MVC encoded video and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 5.6 Mbps.
This film wasn’t shot natively in 3D but was converted in post-production. I didn’t see it in the 3D at the theater and wondered how the film’s effects and CG based elements would look. I was very pleased to see that the reproduction of the digital effects etc. translates as well here as it does in the 2D presentation. Presented in its original aspect of 2.40:1 detail is well preserved as the image retains its high level of clarity with objects and people within the frame appearing noticeably delineated and sharp. Depth of field is excellent as there is a natural sense dimension with regard to foreground/background spacing and movement. The cinematography utilizes near field camera perspectives that enhance proportional correlation. There are a plethora of sequences, usually associated with the elements of action that provide an in your face sense of dimension as things come at you, float or splatter beyond the screen’s borders. A film like this has the potential to make definitive use of the 3D platform and I enjoyed its implementation here as it made the experience more enjoyable. I didn’t notice any overt signs of ghosting/crosstalk. Compared to the 2D presentation I found this to be the more visually engaging as adding excellent three dimensional depth to the equation makes for a gratifying high definition experience that fans of the format will appreciate.
Having seen Edge of Tomorrow in the theater I had high hopes for its soundtrack in the home environment and I wasn’t disappointed. This lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio soundtrack is demonstration quality and sounds terrific. This recording has wide dynamic range and boasts superlative clarity and high level detail that adds an enriching element. Dialogue is definitive and appreciably lucid through the center channel as it reaches far into the room. It’s located just slightly in front of the left/right speakers within the acoustic space it occupies within the soundstage. Front channel separation and imaging is spot on. This draws out both large and small sound elements and allows their directional correlation based upon the onscreen events to be readily definable. The mix makes effective and aggressive use of the surround channels especially when the action kicks in. The listening position becomes submerged in a rotating web of sound that combines sound effects and musical accompaniment.
This is a dynamically charged sound mix that frequently utilizes the subwoofer to provide viscerally potent impact. The audio’s low frequency effects are applied authoritatively to underscore the bombastic and aggressive aspects of the presentation and it does so quite effectively. Its palpable presence is never in question as it contains refined bass quality that is appreciably superior and room energizing. I would recommend not starting out with reference volume levels as there is a sweeping seven to ten second low frequency tone right at the opening (about 30 seconds or so into the film) that reaches down deep and literally shook my room and beyond (my neighbor in the house next door texted me inquiring as to “what the heck was that!?”). It sounded so good I played it back three or four times. This could certainly be problematic for smaller subwoofers so use caution. This is a sophisticated sound design that is loaded with various sound effects, spatial cues, music, and dialogue. Each is clearly represented with enriching clarity, detail and appropriate sound field placement. I had a blast and enjoyed this audio presentation more at home than in the theater.
2D Video Quality:
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Edge of Tomorrow comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 25 Mbps.
This 2.40:1 framed Blu-ray Disc presentation features a solid looking video encoding that boasts stable contrast, bright, detailed whites, and gradationally enhanced grays. This coupled along with punchy blacks and delineated shadow detail gives images both light and dark excellent depth. The video is crisp and definitively resolved as fidelity appears to be intact. Wide angle shots have appreciable dimension with clear rendering of objects within foregrounds and backgrounds. Close ups reveal lots of subtle refinement as the intricate textures within facial features, clothing, and objects is easily discernible. This isn’t an overly colorful film. Many sequences have a filtered and de-saturated appearance that seems to coincide with the director’s intention. Deep shades of blue stand out nicely against the muted chromatic range and look great. Skin tones rarely yield any truly defining complexional characteristics but all appear natural within the scope of the source material. On occasion sharpness wavers however it appears innate and isn’t distracting. Overall quality is excellent as the video has a pristine and dimensionally strong perspective that is visually pleasing and reminiscent of what I saw during the theatrical presentation.
Bonus Features:
- Disc 1: 3D Blu-ray - Edge of Tomorrow
- Disc 2: 2D Blu-ray - Edge of Tomorrow (plus bonus material)
- (HD) Operation downfall - Adrenaline cut (2 minutes)
- (HD) Storming the beach – 9 minutes featurette
- (HD) Weapons of the future – 8 minute featurette
- (HD) Creatures not of this world – 5 minute featurette
- (HD) On the edge with Doug Liman – 42 minute documentary
- (HD) Deleted scenes – 7 minutes
- Bonus DVD
- Digital HD Copy
Final Thoughts:
Based on the novel “All you need is kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka Edge of Tomorrow is a thoroughly entertaining popcorn flick that takes conventional concepts and elevates them with apt direction, excellent scripting and the talents of big budget action star Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. It comes to Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment in this 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack that features faithful high definition video, reference quality DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound and an excellent 3D rendering that compliments the film quite nicely. Also included is a decent supplemental package that is worth exploring if you enjoyed the film. Edge of Tomorrow comes highly recommended and deserves a place in the collection of every genre fan and home theater enthusiast. Enjoy..!
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS PC12-NSD
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package