Writings of Mass Deduction

Ever seen “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray? This is like that, but with power armour. It reminds me a bit of what “Starship Troopers” ought to have been, as the book that movie was based on featured power armour even if it was conspicuous by its absence from the film.

The movie isn’t lighting up the charts, and that’s a shame because it’s surprisingly good. Love Tom Cruise? Lots of him here. Hate Tom Cruise? You’ll get to see him die tonnes of times. Like hard-hitting action? Check. Like smart storytelling? Check. It’s really got it all. Spoilers ahead.

Like in the classic Groundhog Day, we have a person who has to live, and re-live, a day until they get it right. One important difference here is that our protagonist soon finds out someone else who knows about the time loop they’re stuck in. Why do they know? How do they get out of it? What ramification does this have for our hero? These are important details that are doled out to you slowly, and keep you interested.

It’s based upon a Japanese novel entitled “All You Need is Kill”, which was subsequently turned into a manga (and it’s this latter manga that seems to have popularised the story). I’ve purchased both the novel (translated into English) and the manga (ditto) and am beginning to make my way through them.

In many ways it’s like one of those crazy indie movies that somehow got made into a film. I’ve loved mecha and power armour since discovering Robotech in the mid’80s, a fascination that never left me. “Edge of Tomorrow” is well, well worth checking out.