The Edge of Not As Bad As It Could Have Been (B+)

Tom Cruise as Bill Cage
in Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow

"Not as bad as I expected," seems to be a recurring theme of response to Edge of Tomorrow. Because I don't have money to throw away on intentionally disappointing films, I generally don't buy tickets to movies I expect will be bad (live Rifftrax events being an important exception to the rule).

Based on word of mouth or trusted critics, I decide whether to see a movie (1) in a first-run, 3-D, IMAX theater after a steak, (2) in a $5 second-run house with a box of smuggled Junior Mints, (3) on a scratched DVD borrowed from the library, or (4) interrupted by commercials on broadcast TV. Okay, I employ other nuanced tiers of discernment, but you appreciate the gist of the economic scale.

I paid for three people to watch Edge of Tomorrow in its initial release. No 3-D. No IMAX. I downed an overpriced box of dark chocolate Raisinettes before the previews finished. I watched a man repeat the worst day of his life about fifty times... and I didn't get bored. I saw Tom Cruise play iterations of the same character across a broad spectrum of emotion and thought "okay, he's got some acting chops." I was impressed (but not browbeaten to exhaustion) by character design and FX spectacle. Afterward, I took a family out for burgers and joined in their conversation about time paradoxes, second chances, and the "gamification" of life.

I didn't regret the cost.

Obsolete Again

I saw James Cameron's Avatar last night. The film is attracting so much attention, I cannot hope to write anything new about it. Fans and critics have already said what needs to be said about both the content (a derivative plot with liberal politics on its sleeve) and the form (jaw-dropping, groundbreaking). Deeper -- or at least, more pretentious -- analyses will, no doubt, appear in doctoral theses for the next two years. The movie will probably be remembered as a milestone of motion capture technology, "one giant step" for film makers. Robert Zemekis' retelling of A Christmas Carol, released only weeks ago, seems quaint by comparison.

I am bracing for the next round of high school seniors, prospective college students shopping for an alma mater. Immersed in all its 3-D, IMAX glory, Avatar will infect them with new dreams, dreams which likely seem light years from introductory classes in lighting and camera operation. As a measuring stick, Avatar will remind students how little their teachers know. A movie which showcases so many of cinema's possibilities, renders the basics even more boring to would-be Camerons. Avatar will make them more impatient, but it will not make them better.