Smarter and sharper than the average blockbuster

PLAYING heroes, wise guys and men on the precipice is a cinch for Tom Cruise. After watching him in 40 films over more than 30 years, audiences know the drill only too well. In no particular order, the Cruise character grins, runs fast, kills hordes of baddies and gets the girl: it's an easy A all the way. But his new movie Edge of Tomorrow is a departure from the norm because he's dead within minutes of the opening scene - and then dies dozens more times after that.

The film is both a conventional sci-fi action flick and a wink at the notion of the star vehicle, where Cruise gets to indulge in a bit of self-mockery while doing his thing: you know - the grinning, running, killing and wooing. Most satisfying of all, Edge of Tomorrow is cracking entertainment and everything you ever wanted in a big-budget summer blockbuster.

Some things never change, though. Cruise looks impressive in uniform and over the years he's starred in plenty of movies that belaboured the point. In fact, he's played military men in four different decades - Top Gun (1986), A Few Good Men (1992), The Last Samurai (2003), to name a few and now Edge of Tomorrow - which must be a record of some sort.