I will tread very lightly to avoid spoilers which is
extremely difficult in reviewing this particular feature. Director of the Bourne Identity, Doug Liman,
tries his hand at the Sci-Fi genre with this over ambitious version of
Groundhog Day mixed with aliens made up of electrified bungee cords,
geektatsticly militarized mech suits, and completely satisfying doses of Bill
Paxton “douchbagginess”. It is a unique
and engaging tale that keeps the "deja vu thing" fresh and fluid
avoiding any pitfalls of tenaciousness and predictability. Cruise's comeback continues and this forte
seems to fit him, his character is both genuine and convincing. The supporting staff is, however, is just
so/so, playing off cruise well enough but possessing so little depth and
development they never really make that much-needed connection with the audience. The special effects are incredible, amplifying
the story rather than overshadowing it.
But the film fails on two levels, the poor character evolution being
only the first and least. It is a safe
and nonsensical ending that utterly corrupts the film and leaves the audience,
jaws agape, wondering why they just wasted two hours of their lives they will
never be able to "reset". Even
in the most outlandish concepts, some semblance of reality or believe-ability
must exist, if not, even the indoctrinated and dedicated fan-boy will be left
empty handed, and the mainstream totally lost in translation. There were apparent script issues during
production and it is apparent in this hastily crafted conclusion. 2 out of 5 Kernels; one of the greatest
disappointments of 2014 that didn't have to be.
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