Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
25 Plays1 month ago
This week on the Everything Actioncast, Zach and Chris get caught in a time loop and discuss 2014's Edge of Tomorrow, as the anime adaptation of All You Need is Kill is now out in theaters.
Tom Cruise stars as Major William Cage, a military PR officer who is the talking head for the battle against the "Mimics", a hostile alien race that has invaded Earth and destroyed most of Europe. As humanity's big counteroffensive is set to commence, Cage is ordered to cover the frontlines but refuses to engage in actual combat. After trying to blackmail his superior officer, he's arrested, demoted to private, and sent to join the misfits of J-Squad. Piloting an exo-suit, Cage is forced into battle where he encounters an "Alpha" mimic whose blood enters his body before he dies. Cage awakens back at the military base and learns he's now in a time loop, with the day resetting every time he dies. Zach and Chris discuss why the Mimics would risk their super-powerful Alphas in battle at all, how certain groups of loops are used for mini-missions, the fantastic dark humor, Emily Blunt's badass melee combat, and more.
You can rent or buy Edge of Tomorrow on platforms like Fandango at Home, Apple TV, and Prime Video. Next week, we're heading back to Silent Hill as Return to Silent Hill hits theaters.
We want to hear your comments and feedback. Send them all to contact@everythingaction.com. Also, let us know your suggestions for movies for us to discuss.
Please subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube.
Check us out on Twitter (@evaction), Facebook (www.facebook.com/everything.action), and Instagram (@everything.action).
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Everything Action Cast
00:00:19
Zach Sheets
Hello and welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the podcast week of January 12th, 2026. I'm your host, Zach.
00:00:26
Chris Prime
I'm your co-host, Chris.
Anime Adaptations: All You Need Is Kill
00:00:27
Zach Sheets
And this week we're calling on Time Loop and talking about Edge of Tomorrow, because if you're hearing this, there's actually an anime film in theaters based on All You Need Is Kill, which is the manga that Edge of Tomorrow is based on.
00:00:42
Zach Sheets
So you can go see the animated version of this Time Loop story.
00:00:46
Zach Sheets
again I guess based, it's kind of from it's from the character, the reader character's perspective, because I guess the original manga is from the Tom Cruise equivalents perspective.
00:00:56
Chris Prime
K-E-G.
00:00:57
Zach Sheets
Kaiji, yep.
00:00:59
Chris Prime
So this is, it's closer to the original, like you said, but it's kind of redone in this, uh, I don't know, unique change up because I feel like it's made for fans who love the original and just like remixed it even further.
Edge of Tomorrow's Influence on Time Loop Films
00:01:18
Chris Prime
Cause I think, I don't know if it's all the same plot. I think it might be different.
00:01:22
Zach Sheets
you think it's like a Scott Pilgrim Scott Pilgrim's precious little life scenario? but Like where it's like oh it's it's based on that but now it's totally different.
00:01:27
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:01:32
Zach Sheets
Like
00:01:32
Chris Prime
I think, like, you need to be familiar with the original, and then it changes it, like, subverts it.
00:01:39
Chris Prime
that's my That's what I'm betting. it could be i I could be wrong.
00:01:40
Zach Sheets
Yeah. We haven't seen it yet. I think it's it's out if you're hearing this. We haven't seen it yet.
00:01:46
Chris Prime
We might have. i don't know. Maybe a future version of us have.
00:01:47
Zach Sheets
In the future, yeah.
00:01:49
Chris Prime
Loop.
00:01:50
Zach Sheets
Yeah, maybe use your time loop powers and see it at some point. But we've we've definitely seen the Tom Cruise movie because it's definitely it's one of the it's one of the best time loop movies. up you know It's up there with Groundhog Day and some of the recent ones.
00:02:06
Zach Sheets
I was trying if this... Do you think this like kicked off like a wave of of timely movies? Or were we already in kind of like a a new wave of time timely movies, Chris?
00:02:13
Chris Prime
I think we were already in a time, like, we were already, like, in it.
Evolution of Time Loop Movies
00:02:20
Chris Prime
I think, like, was it 2006? I don't
00:02:25
Zach Sheets
This is 2014.
00:02:27
Chris Prime
know, but, like, 2006 was the time loop, like, redefin redefining it. Because I swear, there was, like, every other year there was a time loop movie leading up to this.
00:02:38
Zach Sheets
I feel like they were getting a slightly more... There's a bunch of like more like smaller like indie ones, I feel like. You know, like Triangle.
00:02:44
Chris Prime
m
00:02:46
Zach Sheets
have Have you seen that one?
00:02:46
Chris Prime
See, like, yeah, I've seen that one. I've seen a lot of time loop movies.
00:02:48
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah. But then, you know, so we started getting like a source code like a couple years before this one, and then after Edge of Tomorrow, we got like... It was like Palm Springs and Happy Death Day and the Frank Frillo one.
00:03:05
Chris Prime
Well, I remember before or after this, I saw on, like, streaming was Predestination.
00:03:14
Zach Sheets
Is that... I don't know if that's a time loop one. That's kind a weird...
00:03:17
Chris Prime
It is. It is. don't
00:03:20
Zach Sheets
Kind of, yeah.
00:03:22
Chris Prime
want to spoil It's like part of it. It doesn't seem like it, but the point is that it's a loop.
Exploring Predestination's Unique Take
00:03:28
Chris Prime
And you just catch one part of it, and it doesn't loop around like Edge of Tomorrow, but it's a greater loop than you think.
00:03:37
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it did like whole the whole thing's a loop, but it's not like the character's like constantly stuck in a loop. It's just kind of like the whole thing is...
00:03:42
Chris Prime
Right, right.
00:03:44
Zach Sheets
weaves it in on itself.
00:03:44
Chris Prime
It's sort of like Tenet.
00:03:46
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:03:46
Chris Prime
Tenet's sort of like go a loop movie, but like it it's still like a linear loop and you're going through the motion where this is closer to a...
00:03:48
Zach Sheets
Hmm.
00:03:59
Chris Prime
There has to be like a more sub-genre of loop movies. Where it's like repeated loops. No, actually, you know what is? I think Looper did it. 2012 really brought it back. Sci-fi looping.
00:04:10
Chris Prime
And that's that's a linear loop.
00:04:13
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:04:14
Chris Prime
It doesn't do repeats. it's just the one loop that goes back. And then it it does the like montage. That's usually like another another big thing about these movies is that because it's a loop, you can do montages of the same thing by different changes slightly.
00:04:31
Zach Sheets
Yeah, well, they always need a good setup of, here's there's here's like four or five things that like happen, so that you know the like loop started again, and then you can kind of see like the changes, or kind of be like, the character's like, oh, it predicts it, or starts like anticipating it.
00:04:46
Chris Prime
I mean, I think the following year I saw the movie Project Olomac for like a date.
00:04:51
Zach Sheets
yeah. Hmm.
00:04:52
Chris Prime
not Not the best like date movie, let me tell you that.
00:04:56
Zach Sheets
it even It continues up to last year. one of your favorite movies, Chris, Until Dawn was a type of movie.
00:05:03
Chris Prime
and Why?
00:05:04
Zach Sheets
Made no sense for the the
Exosuits and Military Inspiration
00:05:06
Zach Sheets
franchise, but...
00:05:08
Zach Sheets
But anyway, yeah. Hmm.
00:05:08
Chris Prime
you know You know what's closer? You know what movie's closer to? Deja Vu. The Denzel Washington like time loop prevent a disaster movie. But he only moves back once to prevent a disaster, I believe.
00:05:22
Zach Sheets
Yeah. This is, I mean, this is firmly in the like the Groundhog Day. Just, know, constant loops. The same day repeating over and over again. and learning things from it. I think, I think that that, like, it was the pitch was, it was Groundhog Day, it was the Starship Troopers.
00:05:38
Chris Prime
And that's what exactly what it is. I mean, the original writing, I think, was based more on the Star Trek Trooper anime that they made back in like the 80s.
00:05:42
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:05:50
Chris Prime
Because the armor and the gear is closer to like that power armor.
00:05:54
Zach Sheets
Yeah, because the original Troopers, the novel, they were all in power armor. That's why they were the mobile infantry, because they actually had like mobile suits that they wore. Which they you know they got rid of for the movie, but... but Obviously, it's like the a big big part of Avengers Tomorrow it was like the the these exosuits they get into.
00:06:14
Zach Sheets
Which is really cool that like they're like like like a lot of that's practical. like They're actually like like putting on these like ridiculous like giant exosuits.
00:06:24
Chris Prime
And, you know, it's sort of the power armor, power mover from, like, Aliens, but more mobile.
00:06:30
Zach Sheets
Well, I think it's based it's it's based because you know DARPA in the military have been trying to like come up with some sort of exosuit for you know decades.
00:06:39
Chris Prime
Yeah, yeah.
00:06:39
Zach Sheets
So i think i think this is kind of based on like like so an idea, like one of those ideas or something, something or like but like a concept.
00:06:46
Chris Prime
Do you remember when your Acyllium came out?
00:06:48
Zach Sheets
Oh, Elysium, yeah. Yeah.
00:06:50
Chris Prime
Elysium. Because that was sort of like
Alien Mimics in Edge of Tomorrow
00:06:52
Chris Prime
a a power armor so you can rest your joints. So you're not like always holding it up like your muscles get a break.
00:07:00
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:07:01
Chris Prime
But this is like the next like upgrade where it's like now your whole arm is like as powerful as like a tank.
00:07:08
Chris Prime
Or like a battering ram at least. I don't know. It seems weird because the armor, as powerful as it is the person inside isn't protected by anything.
00:07:10
Zach Sheets
a
00:07:17
Chris Prime
You know i mean? Like it's sort of like it.
00:07:18
Zach Sheets
there there There's a lot of Yes
00:07:20
Chris Prime
There's so many vulnerable parts that like you just couldn't we couldn't put more metal on them.
00:07:25
Zach Sheets
And you can take like a direct hit from like a one like the alien weapons too and then it's like it blows right through it i think one the time Chris's death is like he got shot through the chest by like a plasma beam wherever they shoot.
00:07:37
Zach Sheets
Which, yeah, the so the yeah the the aliens in this movie, the Mimics, which, which why are they Mimics? Because they don't really, they're not mimicking anything.
00:07:46
Chris Prime
Yeah, who was on the, like, naming committee? and nate Like, the aliens didn't show up and go, we're mimics.
00:07:52
Zach Sheets
I feel like squids or something that says they have tentacles or something like that. But they're not like... I think Mimic, you think like they're they're like turning into other things
Character Dynamics and Protagonist's Journey
00:08:04
Zach Sheets
or they're like transforming the people and they're like you can't they're shapeshifters, you can't see where they are. These are just like giant like squid dog things.
00:08:14
Chris Prime
I think it's more like octopus or squid.
00:08:17
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they're kind of yeah, octopus. They do a lot spinning. They can turn themselves into flails and like stabb do like stabbing stuff. But then they also shoot like some sort of energy blasts.
00:08:28
Chris Prime
Yeah, that got very transforming in the middle where they all look like Megatron a little bit.
00:08:34
Zach Sheets
I mean, we're definitely, this is definitely post-Transformers, Michael Bayformers. least at At least they weren't they didn't look like Cloverfield monsters, because I feel like like we were coming out of that era where everything was a ch Cloverfield monster.
00:08:47
Chris Prime
I feel like they wanted to. They were like, oh let's make it like look wet and sea-like.
00:08:53
Zach Sheets
Yeah, well, they kind of they kind of have like a kind of like a pulsing energy kind of like or like they almost look like nanobots, but they're like, but they're actually, up but they're like not nanobots, but they kind of look like they're made of nanobots.
00:09:04
Zach Sheets
And apparently they like they crashed on a meteor or like an asteroid, which they they they have footage of that, like you know, that famous like Russian asteroid footage that like was out there like around the time. Yeah. But yeah, they they crash landed, I guess, I guess the middle of Europe and they basically took over the middle of Europe, but then ever else in the everyone else like in the world is fine.
00:09:27
Zach Sheets
so it's okays going in, you think it's going to me like like more apocalyptic it than it is, but it's kind of like, it's kind of like 28 days later scenario it's like just this one area is affected and everything else everything else is like normal outside of it.
00:09:39
Chris Prime
Yeah, there's like daily lives happening. they don't They don't really bother to help. They're just like, well, the mail needs to be delivered.
00:09:47
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like like Tom Cruise is going on like CNN talking about how we're going to win the war. It's like, oh, we're going to... We've got this big offensive. to take him down.
00:09:57
Chris Prime
Yeah, but I get his character. He's supposed to be like military Don Draper.
00:10:02
Zach Sheets
Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, I think... Does he say like he was it he was in advertising and then he just like got somehow got... recruit him became a major in the U.S. Army? Yeah.
00:10:13
Chris Prime
Because he had ROTC training back in the day. So it just looks good for propaganda.
00:10:20
Zach Sheets
but he's But he's not in unit United Defense Force, which is the the actual like military group that's not the un n but there are a a bunch of countries coming together to fight the mimics.
00:10:32
Chris Prime
So did we miss something where there should have been a scene where he pissed off someone to get thrown into
Humor and Military Strategy in the Film
00:10:40
Chris Prime
this? Because it seems like
00:10:44
Chris Prime
I feel like this is deleted scene somewhere where he slept with someone's wife and then it's just like, you're going to go to the front line.
00:10:49
Zach Sheets
Well, that's the whole, that's the whole, when he has that conversation with Brendan Gleeson the beginning, where it's like, because Brendan Gleeson is like, hey, you're, you're, you're sending it, we're sending it on the front line. need you like, need you we should like, shoot like footage for us of like the battle.
00:11:03
Zach Sheets
Because we're in a, of like propaganda or whatever, like to like, show, show like we're winning the war. then he's like,
00:11:10
Chris Prime
But it wasn't even that. It wasn't even shoot footage. It was like, you are just in a suit now.
00:11:15
Zach Sheets
Well, think no i think I think it was just like... I think Brandon Gleeson was like, no, I just wanted yeah to be like a part of a camera crew, and Tom Cruise said, even that was too much for him. like I don't go into combat at all. I don't like i don't care if I'm just like a camera crew.
00:11:28
Zach Sheets
and i mean I'm not...
00:11:28
Chris Prime
But then. Yeah, but like it got worse. Like, then it's like, oh no you know, you're OK, now you're basically going to die. Like, that is what Ryan Gleeson would just like did. Like, it escalated so quick.
00:11:38
Zach Sheets
Well, because, like, Tom Cruise is, like, threatening him. he kind of like, blackmailed him. Like, well, it'd be a shame if someone my, like, PR skills, you know, made it seem like, like, if this battle's disaster, like, if I blamed it on you.
00:11:52
Chris Prime
Oh.
00:11:53
Zach Sheets
So he's kind of like, he's kind implying that, like, if Brandon Gleeson sends him, send them like, forced him to go into combat, he would kind of like, make, if something went, like, it went bad, he would, like, it make it seem like it's all Brandon Gleeson's fault.
00:12:04
Chris Prime
I mean, like, everyone blames the general when things go bad.
00:12:05
Zach Sheets
was, like,
00:12:07
Zach Sheets
Yeah, I mean, but but yeah breakley is like he's like the head of everything. So yeah, of course it would like you be played for it.
00:12:13
Chris Prime
Like, how you're not surprised.
00:12:14
Zach Sheets
But then, but they yeah, Bredley's like, oh, all right. Then like make something they they you know makes the paperwork for like, he's a deserter. He like is like impersonating officer. He's not a major.
00:12:27
Zach Sheets
and so they send him over to the Pilpaxton squad.
00:12:32
Chris Prime
and But like, do none of that people watch the military news and be like, isn't that the spokesman for the suit?
00:12:37
Zach Sheets
yes They've seen CNN, yeah.
00:12:42
Zach Sheets
I guess they don't watch you watch cable news in England Heathrow wherever they are.
00:12:49
Chris Prime
london England, yeah.
00:12:50
Zach Sheets
Yeah, the the staging the staging base is Heathrow Airport.
00:12:55
Zach Sheets
And yeah, one of the best parts the movie, though, like I just mentioned, like Bill Paxton is so so good in this movie.
00:13:02
Chris Prime
I wish we saw more of him.
00:13:03
Zach Sheets
okay we we get a ton beginning and then kind of like fades out as the movie goes on but he's he's like a major part of like the like the first couple loops i'm just trying like Tom Cruise trying to convince him what's going on i love the bit where like they duct tape his mouth at one point like he's like trying to like he's like showing them that he knows that what's going on and they're like oh okay and then cut to like him with a taped over mouth
00:13:29
Chris Prime
I like that basically maybe he's like a witch. They think he's too good of like a magician.
00:13:37
Zach Sheets
This movie has this movie has like so much like great like there's such like a like great mix of like humor and then like the action and like there's a little bit darker like darker stuff. but like Especially like all of Tom Cruise's, like there's these Louis Tunes-style deaths.
00:13:50
Zach Sheets
They're making the deaths comedic.
00:13:54
Zach Sheets
they're they're like making the desk like comedic
00:13:57
Chris Prime
Yeah, they they really downplay how horrifying it is to loop. And they went for the Groundhog's Day. like I guess the lighter side of things.
00:14:09
Zach Sheets
I think the best one is when he tries to roll into the truck and then gets run over. And
00:14:13
Chris Prime
He does a little squeal. they're like
00:14:16
Zach Sheets
then the place is like...
00:14:16
Chris Prime
That's pretty funny because like you see more of the aftermath. It doesn't just instantly hit back. like I wish there was more scenes like that where Tom Cruise has to kill himself or like dies and there's people like reacting to it.
00:14:31
Zach Sheets
so Oh, geez! like Because, yeah, that's a great, like, Bill Baxter's like, oh my god. What were you thinking?
00:14:43
Zach Sheets
But, yeah, Tom Cruise, like, so like he well, he's so William Cage is his character. But, yeah, he's he's, like, so, like, unprepared to be in, like, this exosuit, which, that's, like, one of fun bits of the movie, too, is, like, you know, him, obviously, like,
00:14:58
Zach Sheets
each loop he kind of gets better using the exosuit. The first time he's out there, he's just like a, he can barely move in it.
00:15:04
Chris Prime
Which, what is up, like, they gave him no training, and it's like, no one pities that? They're like, whatever, man, like, why even give him a suit? Just let him run him out there, you know?
00:15:13
Zach Sheets
Well, it's, it's weird because they're like the advertising for the suits is like, Oh, well, but you're like, it's a super soldier. Like you, you're in a suit. Like you made you can do like anyone can pilot it. It's so easy.
00:15:26
Chris Prime
see, that's what, like, the that's the lie, that it's not.
00:15:27
Zach Sheets
you're,
00:15:29
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:15:30
Chris Prime
So I get the propaganda, because he's more of a propaganda guy. it's unless you had years of battle experience, which is where like Emily Blunt's she's really good.
00:15:41
Chris Prime
And I guess her team, whatever, like the big division between the.
00:15:45
Zach Sheets
Yeah, she has like like her like death commandos.
00:15:48
Chris Prime
Yeah, which we never no won't see any of them. I don't understand why, like none of those guys want to help.
00:15:51
Zach Sheets
Nope.
00:15:55
Zach Sheets
Yeah, i don't think we don't see any of them do anything.
00:15:55
Chris Prime
Like this is. you
00:15:58
Zach Sheets
They just, like, walk out with her, and then we never see them on the field or anything.
00:16:01
Chris Prime
I thought would like she would call them in where it's like, all right, these guys are just as trained. It's like the it's like Armageddon where it's like you would why train the like the oil rig workers.
00:16:12
Zach Sheets
The J-Squad? Yeah.
00:16:14
Chris Prime
Yeah. To like do this when you have the equivalent of like UN n commandos.
00:16:20
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:16:23
Chris Prime
And even if it was like on unsanctioned, you you have like the full metal like Valkyrie with you and she's going to be like, I need to do this.
Emily Blunt's Role and Combat Skills
00:16:32
Chris Prime
It's like, OK, well, you are like the face of the war.
00:16:37
Zach Sheets
yeah because she like so like yeah emily only blunt uh rita fortasky she like gave the humanity like their first big win over the over the uh mimics at for dune so and yeah
00:16:51
Chris Prime
what we see We see no footage of it, just mentions. But they do it so much to the point where I need like i need to know like what happened. I mean i get i get was it's supposed to be that she's done it so many... She was in her own loop, and that's why she's so good at fighting.
00:17:10
Chris Prime
But what was that before? Was she good at fighting initially, and then like the the trial made her better?
00:17:19
Zach Sheets
I feel like she like she has definitely some sort of like different suit than everyone everyone else because she's doing like you know insane like flips in the air and like she's got like the Final Fantasy sword. She's
00:17:29
Chris Prime
She doesn't, you know what her thing is? She doesn't have the back guns.
00:17:33
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:17:35
Chris Prime
I think everyone else is a grunt, but for whatever reason, she's specced out to be like a melee character.
00:17:41
Zach Sheets
yeah she and she doesn't have like risk she doesn't have like the machine guns on her wrist either she's like she's yeah she went full full melee
00:17:47
Chris Prime
So that's why she's more agile, but like you figured the grunts would just... need that mobility because in the scene where they stormed the beach everyone is just like waddling like I and then Tom Cruise figures out like the go button like the the fast button because now he can run like where else everyone else has been fighting for like let's just say like a year or two yeah like what did everyone just like get off the bus and join the up what's what's going on
00:18:02
Zach Sheets
Yes.
00:18:13
Zach Sheets
A few days.
00:18:21
Zach Sheets
Well, it's... it's
00:18:21
Chris Prime
mind you my way Mind you, everyone in that J squad that he joined is a hardened or supposed to hardened soldier that at least had some training.
00:18:30
Zach Sheets
But they're... But they're also like the worst squad in like whatever unit this is.
00:18:35
Chris Prime
Is that like imply that they're like terrible?
00:18:37
Zach Sheets
I think so, yeah. I think that's why Lil Paxton put him with because like, oh, you're a deserter loser. I'm going to send you with the other losers.
00:18:46
Chris Prime
Well, see, that have been fine if like they were all like obviously terrible. I don't know. I thought they were just more goofy because they were like burnt out or like.
00:18:56
Zach Sheets
but all Yeah, because they're all just quirky.
00:18:56
Chris Prime
so
00:18:57
Zach Sheets
Like, It's like, but what's the the one guy, like, just, like, goes in, like, his way tighties, and that's how he wears.
00:19:02
Chris Prime
Yeah. But that OK, see, that makes sense. But then why would Bull Paxson like stick with them?
00:19:09
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like, like but they look they're like, yeah, like, it's like, they're like his guys. They're like, you're my squad, but it's like...
00:19:16
Chris Prime
It's so weird because it's like this like fatherly connection he has with them where it's like, oh, you you bunch of misfits, like you're all going to get me killed. ha ha Like, yeah, yeah, he he they were.
00:19:26
Chris Prime
In one of the loops, they got him killed.
00:19:26
Zach Sheets
and oh
00:19:30
Chris Prime
So I don't get why a Master Sergeant, who is very smart about war, knows how to command like squads. It's just like, J-Squad, you know, it's like, why why stick with the basically the animal house of like the squads?
00:19:47
Zach Sheets
Making them eat playing cards.
00:19:50
Chris Prime
I like how he just does that and they eat it like but without saying anything. like They just know they have to eat it.
00:19:53
Zach Sheets
she It's just happened so many times.
00:19:57
Chris Prime
but You see what I mean? It's like, he hates them, but he loves them to do this. And that he makes sure that they survive the beachfront.
00:20:08
Chris Prime
I don't know.
00:20:08
Zach Sheets
Are you it?
00:20:08
Chris Prime
Like, i i just want a little bit more world building where it's like, it it is sort of like Star Trek Trooper where you have the commander. He's very hard and he's like, you know, this is a tough business.
00:20:19
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:20:20
Chris Prime
But then it's like, were these guys actually any good or everyone is like bullshitting? you know But then like they actually do survive longer than a lot of the other people.
00:20:30
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:20:32
Zach Sheets
Yeah, I mean, yeah, they they just, like, make it, like, somewhat up the beach. They're not, like, well, except for, was it Kimmel? Like, the guy who wears the white tighties? Like, he just gets, like, smashed by a plane instantly.
00:20:42
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:20:42
Chris Prime
Yep.
00:20:44
Zach Sheets
but ever Everyone else kind of makes it to like kind of the middle of the the battlefield, at least. But then mimic pops up and hits in the crater they were in and like just kills them all.
00:20:58
Zach Sheets
at least At least the first couple times.
00:21:01
Zach Sheets
And it does seem it doest seem like the exosuits are like... if you know how to use them, they're good. But if you're like, if you don't know to use it, it's just like a clunky, horrible, like, it's just like, it's more of like a burden.
00:21:14
Chris Prime
Yeah, it it would get you killed.
00:21:16
Zach Sheets
Cause like, you know, like halfway through the movie, like Tom Cruise is like, you know, he's like, yeah, he's basically roller skating. He's like, he's like, you know, running and like spinning around like in his exosuit.
00:21:27
Zach Sheets
Cause he's like mastered it finally.
00:21:30
Chris Prime
you Again, he found the gas button or whatever. I...
00:21:34
Zach Sheets
And he was able like turn he's able to turn off from from Japanese mode, too.
00:21:34
Chris Prime
and i
00:21:38
Zach Sheets
but like I feel like that, like him like having his like gun stuck on Japanese, and then like Rita having like a giant like Final Fantasy sword are probably like like not just the anime or they the manga.
00:21:50
Chris Prime
m Well, in the manga, like, she had a sword. Where here, she has, like, a helicopter blade sword, which is cool. It's badass. They really, like, make you focus in on it. But you figure this is, like, an ultimate united army. They would just give her, like, a legit sword by now.
00:22:08
Zach Sheets
Yeah, do you think she'd like make that herself? Or like, they're like, oh, here, here's this standard issue sword. Buster sword.
00:22:14
Chris Prime
it did
00:22:15
Zach Sheets
Here we go.
00:22:15
Chris Prime
Well, it's like a helicopter blade.
00:22:17
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:22:18
Chris Prime
so So I don't... It's a helicopter blade turned into a sword. But it works so well that you figured after a while wouldn't there be another sword person be like, oh, I could bring a sword into the combat?
00:22:32
Zach Sheets
Yeah, because because it's it's so effective against the mimics. Like, all right, we're going to turn into like a melee army. Like, this is more effective.
00:22:38
Chris Prime
melee unit?
00:22:39
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:22:41
Chris Prime
Like, wouldn't it wouldd be like... I know it sounds stupid to storm a beach with just melee only, but you figure, okay, then you would order your ranks so that like you have a shield unit and then get your melee as close as possible to like the front and then your melee like cavalry charge things.
00:23:02
Zach Sheets
Because cause a lot of the training, like, during, the like, the training loop montage where, like, you know, Tom Cruise is, like, coming to Miami Blunt and, like, every day
Time Loop Training Montage
00:23:09
Zach Sheets
in training. Like, he's doing a lot of, like, melee, like, dodging these, like, giant metal, I guess they represent, like, the mimics. And then, but, like, blocking them and, like, dodging them.
00:23:20
Zach Sheets
not a lot like Not a lot like using his guns.
00:23:20
Chris Prime
yeah like Yeah, shooting them is like too fast, but swinging something at them I think is a little more accurate.
00:23:24
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:23:28
Zach Sheets
and it also It seems to take a lot of bullets. like like The mimics are like are but bullet sponges. They can take a lot of punishment.
00:23:36
Zach Sheets
But yeah, but but in Tom Cruise's first battle, he's up against like an alpha, which is like a special mimic. And then when that like he uses like a claymore and like it blows it blows up and in the blood of the alpha like oozes into his blood so that's how he ends up with the time powers because the the alphas are are like the have like the special like time manipulation blood in them for the mimics
00:24:01
Zach Sheets
because because you find out that like they their strategy is like they kind of they like do time loops and they like learn from each each like loop so and they like come up with like the best strategy like to like destroy their enemies
00:24:16
Zach Sheets
And there's basically, it bes like, Starched Troopers are basically the equivalent like, the brain bug, just, like, the Omega, which is, like, they basically the Mimics brain.
00:24:24
Zach Sheets
So that becomes, like, they gotta find the Omega, and if they kill if they can kill the Omega, then they can, like, stop the Loops and also, like, kill the Mimics.
00:24:31
Chris Prime
Yeah, which is like nice, because you find that out through trial and error to get to that point. it's It's earned, just like us watching it. like As Tom Cruise discovers it, we're discovering it.
00:24:43
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:24:43
Chris Prime
And you can tell when they like sort fast-forward certain points, like where they're not seeing... Tom Cruise kind of stumble into the plot. Like, he earns bit by bit, getting to the, the like, okay, we gotta to go to the lab now. like Then it's like, you restart back to the beginning. And if you'd just done this, you would have been, like, better off.
00:25:04
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they do a great job of like, it's like, it might be the first time we're seeing this scene, but then they do a great job of like explaining like, oh no, this is like Tom Cruise's like, like eight a hundredth times doing this or like 40th time doing this.
00:25:17
Zach Sheets
It's like, kind of like, you know, like like he's already done this before, where we're seeing it for the first time.
00:25:17
Chris Prime
Yep. Yep.
00:25:22
Chris Prime
I feel like other movies have done that, where it's like, okay, hey, I know this, this, this. like yeah I get to the next part to see where my my branching options go. It's like replaying a video game and just skipping the dialogue.
00:25:36
Chris Prime
But I like that, unlike other things where maybe one person is sort of cued on it, they have at least two people, and one of them happens to be the scientist who's just like, oh, totally, like this is good. like He understood the concept of the loop. like There's no grand explanation.
00:25:52
Chris Prime
Which later on by the end of the movie, like they they hit fast forward on that. So other characters are just like in. you know like they're just They don't need any bigger kind trick.
00:26:03
Zach Sheets
Yeah, i like I like that Rita, like, was she like, obviously she was in the loop before. so then she understands what's like the, all the concepts. So top cru is like this has to be like, Hey, I'm going loop. And she's like, all right, let's go.
00:26:17
Chris Prime
Yeah, like that takes takes care of the like intro over and over again. But... I feel like in Groundhog's Day, because Bill Murray has to keep convincing certain people that he's the loop master and he's like, I'm better off not saying anything.
00:26:33
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:26:35
Chris Prime
So I like how in this one he does reach out. He does ask for help. He does become a better person.
00:26:41
Zach Sheets
Well, a lot a lot of Groundhog Day stuff that like there is like in the the first couple of loops where like he's trying to convince Bill Paxton that he's like like looping and they and no one believes him. But then they get into to kind of like when he finally like is able to like talk to Rita, then they kind of they it's like doesn't explain anymore.
00:26:52
Chris Prime
Thank you.
00:26:57
Zach Sheets
you just like yes to like we say his to I guess he has to escape like the like PT run every day. it like roll into the Roll in the truck and get escaping and find Rita every day. That's part of the loop.
00:27:10
Zach Sheets
But then once he gets there, then he's either training or like yeah go to go talk to the scientist and get the get the info.
00:27:16
Zach Sheets
And there's kind like there's kind of like there's like mini... Tanker said he has like kind of like mini missions. like the like The first couple are just like surviving just and like what is going on. And then next the next couple are like, oh, you have to like you have to get better. you have to like train and actually become like a like a competent soldier.
00:27:34
Zach Sheets
And then like and next one then the next one's like, well, we got we're stuck on the beach. we got We have to get off the beach. but but like Or else we're never going to get anywhere. So you've got to figure out the battle and like figure out like every move specifically that we need to do.
00:27:47
Chris Prime
Well, that actually is like a lot of the bulk of the first act. This movie's like what?
00:27:55
Zach Sheets
Two hours.
00:27:55
Chris Prime
Nearly two hours?
00:27:55
Zach Sheets
Play another two hours? Yeah.
00:27:57
Chris Prime
So the first hour is really just training montages and then trying to get figure out like where to go next.
00:28:02
Zach Sheets
Hmm.
00:28:07
Chris Prime
so once it So once it cuts forward to that and then it's like, all right, now you gotta do this. And it's like, all right, now gotta all these other tasks. And then you said before it's like mini missions.
00:28:18
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:28:18
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:28:18
Chris Prime
But now the plot is like getting this objective.
00:28:21
Chris Prime
And I like that. It's not just like, loop, loop, and then trying to find all the possible routes for the one situation.
00:28:30
Chris Prime
If anything, it's like multifaceted where you need to find all the the minor things that may or may not add up. But I feel like it's it was pretty like focused.
00:28:44
Chris Prime
Now, we I'm not sure you mentioned it, but The Omega can send visions to Tom Cruise to like either tell him that he's getting close or like to distort his reality.
Visions from the Omega: Strategic Planning
00:28:58
Zach Sheets
Well, yeah, so, yeah, eventually, if if someone's in the loop long enough, like they start having visions, because they're tied into like the it's like the central nervous system of the mimics. Because the mimics are basically all like a hive mind. You're all like one organism, basically.
00:29:14
Zach Sheets
And then eventually if you're in like, they're like, you know, system long enough, you'll start seeing like visions of where the Omega is. That's kind of like the key is if, if, if they can figure if Tom Cruise can like have a vision of like where the Omega is, they can like try to get there and then blow it up or kill it or whatever.
00:29:29
Zach Sheets
But then also the mimics are trying to hunt down who the person is that their like time looping powers. And then they want, they want to like kill them, but like kill them slowly. So they bleed out and then lose the power.
00:29:42
Zach Sheets
because then didn' they have the advantage again.
00:29:45
Chris Prime
Okay, but here's the thing. These mimics or like alphas, they they bleed everywhere. So how come like does it have to be fresh blood that can just be splashed on a human? Or can a human just like drink it if they found it? you know i mean like
00:30:04
Zach Sheets
Yeah, why would
00:30:04
Chris Prime
It seems like the mimics would then need to like build a suit for these like alphas to not bleed anywhere.
00:30:09
Zach Sheets
Yeah, why would why would you risk them? like If that's like they have the source of your power, like your your massive advantage is like these alphas have time-looping powers. like Why would you send them out at all into battle?
00:30:22
Zach Sheets
i Just just said like send all the grunts.
00:30:22
Chris Prime
Okay, so I get...
00:30:24
Zach Sheets
Just send the grunts.
00:30:25
Chris Prime
But like so i guess the alpha has to go out and do field report to check if they're winning or losing the fight. Because the grunts can't do that?
00:30:36
Zach Sheets
think theyre i think they yeah I think they mentioned do something where it's like, the the alphas are part of like the communication web. So they need to be out there. So then Omega knows what's going on.
00:30:45
Chris Prime
It just seems like a giant vulnerability. Like I did mention where it's a, it's a plot McGuffin to send them out there because if not, like then Tom Cruise has no way to do the looping, like take in order for it to bleed on him.
00:30:47
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:00
Chris Prime
I kind of would liked it if like Tom Cruise, like there were a series of just random events. He ends up like in an alpha's pit or something like, you know i mean Like it,
00:31:14
Chris Prime
The way that they introduce it, the alpha is just going around prowling that area.
00:31:21
Zach Sheets
Just, yeah, just in the middle of the battle.
00:31:23
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:31:24
Zach Sheets
If they're, yeah, you're saying if they're, like, more hidden and like, just stumble, like, it's like, crap.
00:31:24
Chris Prime
Or like...
00:31:30
Zach Sheets
Like, it's like these, like, alphas that hide under the ground and, like, they don't come out because there's these kind of modern things.
00:31:37
Chris Prime
Or like...
00:31:38
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:31:49
Chris Prime
Because,
00:31:52
Chris Prime
like... I get it. Like, it the movie had to happen. If Tom Cruise didn't run away... then this wouldn't happen. actually would prefer it if basically, like, his mech suit malfunctioned and it, like, shot him into, like, a a mimic, like, base.
00:32:08
Chris Prime
And then Tom Cruise tries to, like, charm his way out of it.
00:32:13
Zach Sheets
I don't know if they misunderstand English, but...
00:32:16
Chris Prime
Well, they understand, like, weapons, and they understand, like, gestures.
00:32:21
Chris Prime
So... Uh... Or would have been, like, this fun throwback where Tom Cruise tries to, like, make, like, a news report. It's like, oh you hurt me.
00:32:34
Chris Prime
I will send really bad propaganda piece.
00:32:40
Chris Prime
But, yeah, no, the... the MacGuffin of having these like very rare and powerful alphas that can literally destroy the enemy's plan is just the one thing that I think, oh like one of the biggest things that kind of, you just have to get over to enjoy the plot.
00:32:58
Chris Prime
I don't know i would, i would give the alphas like more guards or like, at least like not leave it alone.
00:33:03
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:33:05
Chris Prime
Cause like Tom Cruise technically comes the human version of the alpha.
00:33:09
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:33:10
Chris Prime
But he's a secret alpha. Where their alphas. Blaintily look like something different.
00:33:16
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they're like the main, the regular members have like yellowish kind of like glowing energy in them and then like the alphas are like bigger at blue energy. Mm-hmm.
00:33:24
Chris Prime
They look more like lions. So that makes them stand out. Tremendously. but I don't understand how the the UN army. Did not figure that out.
00:33:35
Zach Sheets
that just's different and There's like different I guess their justification is that alphas are like absurdly rare.
00:33:38
Chris Prime
Yeah, breeds and just size and power. They're just like, whatever.
00:33:48
Zach Sheets
like It's like 1 in 6 million mimics is an alpha.
00:33:53
Zach Sheets
So like barely barely anyone's ever seen them. it's mostly just like the like the regular grunt mimics.
00:34:01
Zach Sheets
I guess also, too, like they're like you know there's they're so fast that they're like but they are like bare like they burrow underground. like I guess that no has a clear like look at what what they actually look like. They're trying to blast this like blur.
00:34:14
Chris Prime
Which, you figure maybe just like make a vehicle. Don't don't send like all these different European guys and in power suits. like Think about this.
00:34:27
Chris Prime
There's a scene later where like a a van outruns a mimic.
00:34:33
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:34:34
Chris Prime
Like a car. So like that was probably cheaper than a power suit.
00:34:43
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it's it's it's weird. there's like it's there are like The United Defense Force is all in on the power suits. that's like the only There's no like normal infantry. There's no armor, like like you know like tanks or anything. There's no attack, air support.
00:34:56
Zach Sheets
yeah vas i guess they have like the dropships. They have like the... No, the you know the
00:35:01
Chris Prime
But that's not battle dropships. like That was a surprise.
00:35:02
Zach Sheets
no the oh
00:35:04
Chris Prime
So that's why like it fails all the time.
00:35:07
Zach Sheets
There's no like jet knows there's like there's no jets doing bombing runs. Like it's like it it the mech suits that that those those will deal with everything. We don't we don't need like any other units out there.
00:35:17
Chris Prime
Well, I think the the point is is that maybe while Europe is fighting, like, concentrating on the front, the other armies are searching and bombing things they think are, like, bases, but because the Omega is, like, hidden deep underground...
00:35:35
Zach Sheets
Well, they're basically like, so this is the big operation, which is Operation Downfall, is like every every country around the area where the mimics are is going to push in and then drive them to the middle. And then they're going to like, they're going to try to wipe them all out.
00:35:51
Zach Sheets
Which I don't even think like the United Defense Force knows about the Omega. I think it's just like it's it's it's Rita and then was it Dr. Carver and now then Tom Cruise. They're like the three people that know about the Omega. Because no one else believes them. They're just like, oh, you're crazy.
00:36:07
Chris Prime
Yeah, they're like, no, there's no other alien thing controlling more alien things. Which, like, why not? Aliens exist, so whatever we thought about the world has changed.
00:36:19
Chris Prime
You know what mean? It's like, is there, like, deniers? Like, alien mimic deniers already?
00:36:26
Zach Sheets
Probably.
00:36:29
Zach Sheets
I'm sure like countries like super far away like America.
00:36:32
Chris Prime
America? America?
00:36:34
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:36:38
Zach Sheets
It's just like oh that's that's Europe's problem. we have to deal with that.
00:36:42
Chris Prime
You see, I would have liked it if Cage was an American like ambassador, but like he didn't believe the war was real.
00:36:53
Chris Prime
And then he got sent there.
00:36:53
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:36:55
Chris Prime
And then it's like, oh shit, it's super real. And they're like, oh, because all things you said about like the war were making you take part of the war.
00:37:03
Chris Prime
Doesn't that make more sense?
00:37:06
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like hed like even even like he even think it was like there was like even like aliens, and it's like, oh shit, there's aliens?
00:37:13
Chris Prime
And then it's like he just didn't want to give support. Like he doesn't want to okay things. And then it's like, oh, oh, you didn't want to help us? Well, now here's your mech suit. You're going into the war.
00:37:21
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:37:22
Chris Prime
Like, even when they showed him proof, he was like denying it. He's like, no, that's not aliens.
00:37:29
Zach Sheets
Well, it's like, what's like because I guess the U.S. is has some sort of like presence in the United Defense Force because Bill Paxton is like super southern like Kentucky guy
00:37:41
Zach Sheets
But then i feel like everyone else in like the unit is is like British.
00:37:46
Chris Prime
Like different types of European, UK. You gotta read their patches. i think one guy's Scottish, one guy's Irish.
00:37:56
Zach Sheets
but But yeah, but because they're like put butre ones push they're pushing from the UK into like the mainland.
00:38:02
Chris Prime
Yeah, that's true. Like, it's their home. it's It's their territory.
00:38:04
Zach Sheets
and
00:38:05
Chris Prime
It's like Tom Cruise is sort of like, whatever.
00:38:06
Zach Sheets
be led And the commanding officer is a a southern guy, southern American guy.
00:38:15
Chris Prime
Yeah, but he loves J-Squad. They're just sort of the misfits of his barrack.
00:38:21
Zach Sheets
Oh, I do i do love i love... There's like the obligatory Tom Cruise rides a motorcycle scene. They have to get that in there. It's like the one loop where he just like gives up. He's like, I'm just going to i'm go get a good beer. going to just run away.
00:38:35
Chris Prime
That happens early in the movie.
00:38:35
Zach Sheets
going to ride this motorcycle.
00:38:37
Chris Prime
that That happens super early that I remember that happening in the middle or like the third act. But now like he does that really quick. And he's like, OK, I reconsider like not being a coward. I have like a duty.
00:38:50
Zach Sheets
well Yeah, cause he because he know he has he tries that like option, but then the Mimics destroyed the army and they're like now they're attacking London. So there's like justs no escape for him, even if he didn't fight, he's going get killed by Mimics.
00:39:04
Zach Sheets
i think And then is that when he decides to like really like focus on his training and like become like like a good like go in the mech suit? Have Rita train him?
00:39:13
Chris Prime
Yeah, I think it's more serious because now he's like, he really has no other choice.
00:39:20
Zach Sheets
And then, yeah, and then they they go on like they're they have like their, he eventually gets like the location of the Mega. It's like this dam in Germany. so then then he has to figure out how to get him and Rita off the beach. So that's like the whole like kind of middle is like, like doing it to precise steps of like two steps here, look left. There's a mimic, go forward five steps, stop.
00:39:42
Zach Sheets
And they they eventually like they do figure out like how to get like off the beach, and they end up like this, like a it's like a mobile home park like off off the beach.
00:39:54
Zach Sheets
And then they they come to New York, so like i got a minivan, and they they escape.
00:40:01
Chris Prime
the the seat the like The secretly like end du durable minivan that is able to like drag a caravan and also take damage and still keep going.
00:40:15
Zach Sheets
Yeah, the entire entire back of it is blown... It's, like, exploded off, and it's still driving around. They'll they'll have to stop because they run out of gas.
00:40:24
Zach Sheets
And then there mix the mech suits also run out of energy, then they're, like, on foot.
00:40:29
Zach Sheets
And then you get you get kind of like, the... the One of the big emotional beats is that, like...
00:40:34
Zach Sheets
Tom Cruise, they've done this like a but a bunch of times. there's like There's like no way figured out to have like Rita live through it because it' like she gets blown up in a helicopter or a mimic explodes her. like This is as far as she's ever gotten and he can't figure out a way to get her like beyond that.
00:40:53
Zach Sheets
He also doesn't want to go past it because if he if he kills the Omega and like she's dead, then she's dead. She's never coming back.
00:41:01
Chris Prime
Yeah, it's the, It's sort of like whatever save changes you have.
00:41:08
Chris Prime
Like, whatever settings you made, like, that's your your worldview.
00:41:12
Zach Sheets
Yeah, how however things are when the community you kill the Omega, it's to be stuck that way.
00:41:17
Chris Prime
Yeah. Which is, uh... Which is weird, because they they stress that at this moment, but the movie sort of doesn't follow that rule later.
00:41:28
Zach Sheets
No, no.
00:41:32
Zach Sheets
i mean it I mean, yeah, where it works for that because then you get yeah you get like the big, like, you' just like it doesn't it doesn't matter. like we just got it's it's it's beyond like It's bigger than us. We just got to do it. And then she gets like killed in the helicopter explosion.
00:41:44
Chris Prime
Well, that's when he realizes that maybe he should do it without her. If it's better without her. He tries it by himself for a while.
00:41:51
Zach Sheets
Oh, yeah. we we We get kind of the low point. like That's when we're kind of like throwing back to like Groundhog Day, where it's like but when like Bill Murray's super depressed and just like doesn't care anymore. we get like
00:42:00
Chris Prime
see, that should have been the, like, go motorcycle, have a drink. Sort of just, like, have a moment where you're not fighting every day.
00:42:09
Chris Prime
Like, I want to watch him do something that's just, like, Okay, like, remind him, like, to keep going and stuff. But he sort of just changes. Like, alright, time to do this solo.
00:42:18
Zach Sheets
I'm just yeah I'm just I'm grim now I'm like grim and competent
00:42:24
Chris Prime
Mentally, i'm a I'm a war vet.
00:42:27
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:42:27
Chris Prime
I'm like, he's basically just like a Warhammer, like, Space Marine
00:42:31
Zach Sheets
there's Yeah, there's's I mean, there's a little bit of that there, but I think i guess i think it definitely is like kind of like it's like the book starts with troopers. They're like the mobile infantry.
00:42:41
Chris Prime
Yeah, because at that point, it's not fun. it's It's sort of like it dawns on him that this is the life and death struggle. But I think in Search of Trooper, it starts out like kind of that typical naive, like we're we're the number one, we're unstoppable. wo And then it's like, oh, oh, shit.
00:42:57
Chris Prime
He realizes that, like, what's at stake?
00:43:01
Chris Prime
Like him getting to talk to Emily b Blunt again.
00:43:05
Zach Sheets
I mean did you see her do like a no leg push up
00:43:09
Chris Prime
Yep, I mean, pretty cool. Pretty cool. So when does he start doing that?
00:43:16
Zach Sheets
yeah that should be like gotta train to do that 40 loops doing that yeah
00:43:20
Chris Prime
he spends He spends like a year doing that in time loop? Yeah.
00:43:25
Zach Sheets
It'd be hilarious if he just spent... I guess what is... Does his body reset too? Because he's got it ridiculously jacked.
00:43:33
Chris Prime
No. It's just the mind muscle memory. His body physically doesn't go back.
00:43:38
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:43:39
Chris Prime
Unless...
00:43:40
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:43:40
Chris Prime
That'd be different if basically the damage you take in the loop, it changes your body later. So, like, he starts at, like, what, level 1? And then by by then, he's just like, wow, he is so much more ripped than he started.
00:43:53
Zach Sheets
I spent 200 loops just like doing lifts, just doing weightlifting.
00:43:58
Chris Prime
And then finding more alpha blood so that I can go back in time.
00:44:00
Zach Sheets
move
00:44:03
Zach Sheets
But I do love to... After his sad montage, he decides, I think that's when he gets caught in the trap. He learns that the dam is a trap. They were just trying to lure him bleed him out.
00:44:18
Zach Sheets
So he's like, oh, okay, it's a trap. i got go but i'll I gotta go back to Rita and the doctor and figure out new plan. And then it becomes like it becomes kind of like a mini like Mission a Impossible mission, but they have to break into Whitehall.
00:44:25
Chris Prime
Yep.
00:44:30
Chris Prime
They do the like almost the same beats where it's like, alright, we i go here, we gotta throw in here. And who does become like an Ethan Hunt character.
00:44:38
Zach Sheets
and There's like and this the great scene where like they they talked to Brendan Gleeson. They break him into his office and they explain everything. He's just like, all right, here you go. Here's the device you need.
00:44:51
Chris Prime
Yeah, I don't know why he's so calm about it.
00:44:54
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Well, then like then Cage is like, i've I don't know. It's never happened before.
00:45:00
Zach Sheets
but then But then I guess I think he calls like then he but they find yeah he calls like the mps outside the outside the they're arresting him So then they
Climax Setup: Final Assault on the Omega
00:45:09
Zach Sheets
do like a second, they do another loop and then they end up like escaping through like the garage.
00:45:14
Chris Prime
Well, okay, so knowing that, wouldn't you always have like like a restart jumper on Tom Cruise?
00:45:14
Zach Sheets
And I think...
00:45:20
Chris Prime
could Always have like a grenade or something?
00:45:24
Zach Sheets
Well, I mean, Rita has like, yeah she's like, is like, you know i was shooting with the head with a pistol. But...
00:45:29
Chris Prime
That's worked so far? I mean, yeah, it has, but you figured you'd do like another crazy, extreme, hard reset option.
00:45:40
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like yeah like he like Tom Cruise doesn't have a gun. He doesn't bring it like a pistol with him. Like, like oh this is my like they all reset pistol. like He's just he
00:45:48
Chris Prime
As messed up as that is, but we're so used to it by now in the movie.
00:45:53
Zach Sheets
he's just relying on Rita to do it.
00:45:56
Zach Sheets
But i think I think this is when he like he gets the vision that like the Omega is actually in. Because they used use this like special device that the Dr. Carter made. that I guess like taps more into like the Omega signal or like does something to like, they were going to use it like and like an an alpha to like figure out what the Omega was.
00:46:15
Zach Sheets
But then.
00:46:15
Chris Prime
Yeah, it's like more, it's not just the vision, it's like the antenna.
00:46:20
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:46:20
Chris Prime
So now you're more in tune with the Omega...
00:46:23
Zach Sheets
And they find out that like the Omega is in like the, under the pyramid in the Louvre, but then they get attacked in and like a cage, like he actually does get bled out. And then he'd like loses the power.
00:46:36
Zach Sheets
So he wakes up in, not like at the but the beginning of the day, that like he always has, he ends up in like a hospital bed.
00:46:43
Zach Sheets
And then they have, so they have like, they have one shot because they there's no loops anymore. So they have one shot to go try to kill the Omega.
00:46:49
Zach Sheets
And they recruit the best the best team for the job, which is J-Squad. Like we were saying before, like, don't don't get Emily Blunt's like, you know death commandos. get go Go get the Misfit Squad.
00:47:02
Chris Prime
Yeah, that's unlike why why and they were like all on board because they're like dumb, I guess. Like, oh, time travel. Cool.
00:47:11
Zach Sheets
he pretty yeah he proves he's been looping he proves that he knows everything about them
00:47:11
Chris Prime
And then.
00:47:16
Zach Sheets
like alright yep we believe you
00:47:20
Zach Sheets
and then and then they get like horrifically ambushed just like the beach they get like blown up again they lose half the squad
00:47:28
Zach Sheets
I mean, actually, like, yeah, everyone everyone's everyone's killed in, like, pretty rapid fashion. Except it just sounded like Tom Cruise and then we blown again.
00:47:36
Zach Sheets
Like, two of two of them sacrifice themselves by blowing up a gas truck, and then one of them gets, like, ripped out of, like, the, the like...
00:47:43
Chris Prime
The turret.
00:47:44
Zach Sheets
Yeah, but I'm trying to... It's not... but What's, like, that? it's It's, like, an Osprey? Like, the tilt rotor?
00:47:50
Chris Prime
Yeah, the helicopter.
00:47:51
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:56
Zach Sheets
But yeah, but they they do make it they make it into into like the but into Louvre. there's like the There's an alpha probably around there, which I guess this this just is there. I would think like maybe maybe try to like get some blood someone's blood again. i don't know how you do that, but it's like a backup plan. cause like and like but's like I'll distract it. You go blow up the Omega.
00:48:17
Chris Prime
I mean, she could have just like bit it. I don't know what the rule.
00:48:20
Zach Sheets
resulted yeah Stab it.
00:48:21
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:48:21
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:48:21
Chris Prime
Because then when she well, they didn't have any weapons, so I get like it was very like, you know, plot device.
00:48:27
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they were down to like machine gun and then like so a thing of grenades.
00:48:33
Chris Prime
This is where her knife doesn't come in handy, like none of her like melee skills.
00:48:37
Zach Sheets
Yeah, whole all of her use a but but like bladed weapon. She can't like stab the Omega and or the Alpha try to get some like drink some blood out of it or something.
00:48:46
Chris Prime
Or if i was Tom Cruise, wouldn't you use all the possibilities to keep finding more Omegas and then try to like drain it? But I think like if you find an Omega and kill it, then like the recall happens, so it could instantly restart the
00:48:59
Zach Sheets
Well, that I guess that's what normally happens. is like If an Alpha gets killed, then all the information gets sent to like the Omega, and the Omega's like, okay, this is what happened when this Alpha got killed. Let's let's re reset, and we'll do like we'll do a new like strategy.
00:49:13
Zach Sheets
That's how they've been winning like the entire this is our time. Although, if they're so powerful, like did it is weird they get like they yeah like held in like just the middle of Europe than anywhere else.
00:49:26
Chris Prime
yeah when Unless America's got like a better plan.
00:49:26
Zach Sheets
but guess... I guess that was part of their plan. They wanted to lure everyone and then kill them all. Kill Earth's defenses and then spread out. kill like the kill kill like erst like fs then spread out
00:49:42
Zach Sheets
but But yeah, Top Cruise gets gets to underwater where like the Omega is, drops the grenades in there. and then i i guess he's like just like engulfed in like Omega blood is what the new thing. Because he's like he's stabbed by like an Alpha and he's dying, but then he gets like... The explosion causes like Omega blood to get into him now because he gets like wrapped up in like weird blue energy.
00:50:03
Zach Sheets
and then he wakes up...
00:50:04
Chris Prime
I like how this is the opposite of a blue light in the sky. This is blue light blue blood in the water.
00:50:08
Zach Sheets
Underwater. Hmm.
00:50:11
Chris Prime
yeah This is where i'm like, I don't understand how this one works now. Like this like time travel blood.
00:50:20
Zach Sheets
Because then he wakes up he wakes up further he than he was previously. He he wakes up like the day like in the morning before he like met with Brendan Gleeson in the beginning of the movie. And then you find out, oh, all the mimics are dead. like There's a weird energy surge in Paris. Now all the mimics are dead.
00:50:38
Zach Sheets
So the effects of like the the effects of like the previous like loop or previous time frame went into like the new loop. Because it... the Mimics are all dead still in this in this like new like timeline.
00:50:54
Chris Prime
Which is weird, because, like, how did they loop back, but then the Omega's just dead back in this timeline already?
00:51:02
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they're still like still yeah they they went back in time, but it's they're still they're all still dead.
00:51:08
Chris Prime
See, it would have been, it would have made sense in this, if, like, Tom Cruise got the Omega blood, went back even further, and then killed it early.
00:51:09
Zach Sheets
i think its
00:51:21
Zach Sheets
like he Like he went back all the way back to like when they like crashed it in like the asteroid or whatever. And then like it's like just found it when they first got there and like blew it up or something.
00:51:30
Chris Prime
And then like stabbed it. And then which is like, well, now we wait. And then then it's like he he phases out of existence like that version.
00:51:40
Chris Prime
Did you ever see the the Amazon movie? a Future War. Or Tomorrow World War.
00:51:48
Zach Sheets
Oh, the Tomorrow War.
00:51:50
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:51:50
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yep.
00:51:53
Chris Prime
That's what they did. Like they figured out where the problem is in the their current timeline and went and killed it then so that like it wouldn't be as bad in the future.
00:52:03
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Because they were sending people into the future to fight this war. And it's like, oh, we got to do something like in the past to stop this. Hmm.
00:52:12
Chris Prime
And then they just did it. They're like, no, this makes sense. They that way they don't need to fight like a future problem.
Multiverse Implications of the Time Loop
00:52:19
Chris Prime
I thought that was going to happen. but it's such a like weird
00:52:27
Chris Prime
plot point where I kind of preferred it if he killed it and then it resets, but because like they're both dead, it resets like a normal version and he gets like deja vu, like a sort of like a wave of like, oh, feel like I know to you.
00:52:42
Chris Prime
like That's it. That's how it ends. you know like I feel like I've been here, but then because the war is over,
00:52:47
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like, Cage doesn't know any, like, he doesn't remember anything that happened. He's just but he's just he's back in the past.
00:52:56
Chris Prime
And it sort of plays out like where as if the war was going to happen, but it seems like it's over.
00:52:56
Zach Sheets
Yeah. the prince
00:53:01
Chris Prime
So now he's like, well, I did my job.
00:53:03
Zach Sheets
yes
00:53:04
Chris Prime
I learned nothing.
00:53:07
Zach Sheets
I'm still going to be, like, an arrogant, like, advertising man who, like, is not going to go to war.
00:53:15
Chris Prime
I mean, the war's over.
00:53:16
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:53:18
Chris Prime
But yeah, i still don't understand how the Omega gets sent back to the past dead.
00:53:24
Chris Prime
How does killing a future, like a present day Omega kill the past version too?
00:53:30
Zach Sheets
Because there's because's there's a big surge of energy. That's enough, right?
00:53:37
Zach Sheets
i think that
00:53:37
Chris Prime
I would have liked it where like he stabbed it with a device if Tom Cruise gave it some of its blood to it. You know, he bled onto the Omega.
00:53:49
Zach Sheets
Or, yeah, like, Dr. Carter came up with, like, some some new, like, another gadget. Like, you gotta to kill the Omega with this, and then they'll, like, stop the time loops or something. But then
00:53:58
Chris Prime
Well, do you remember the part where Tom Cruise suggests is like, oh, have you thought about changing fluids through sex?
00:54:06
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:54:06
Chris Prime
and And then that's where like it comes back again, where it's like Tom Cruise is like, I know how to kill this. like
00:54:14
Chris Prime
I mean, the Omega can be a guy or girl. It's whatever.
00:54:19
Zach Sheets
Or it's like, oh, it's weakness. Human blood. It's like...
00:54:23
Chris Prime
You know, the thing that we all do.
00:54:27
Zach Sheets
Because like their their power is their blood. What if we give it our blood?
00:54:33
Chris Prime
Yeah, and like, it killed, like, as stupid as it sounds, it does make sense because, like, their blood can go back in time. Our blood can't. So what if we gave it a blood transfusion?
00:54:44
Chris Prime
Like, as stupid as it sounds, that makes sense, right? Because, their alien blood also is, like, works of our blood to...
00:54:57
Zach Sheets
Somehow. yeah You're supposed to be like, yeah be like oh, it's a happy ending.
00:54:58
Chris Prime
Somehow, like, it's it's such a weird thing. But again, if it's like you it all you're not supposed to, like, look further than that.
00:55:09
Zach Sheets
like He might he might like try to like rekindle something with Rita. Yeah. because that's it ends with him i gom like like going back to like where she's training and be like she's like hey what do you want and she's like he starts laughing and it just cuts to the end credit song
00:55:28
Chris Prime
Even funny is that they do a recut of this movie it's all the perspective of Rita. like It's just the like awkward, like, hey, it's me. You haven't met me, but you told me to meet you. Like, that version.
00:55:41
Chris Prime
Or it's like her working out and then Tom Cruise just laughs at her and that's it.
00:55:46
Zach Sheets
so I have to constantly shoot this guy in the head.
00:55:51
Chris Prime
Now, do you believe in the concept that maybe... They're not time traveling. They're jumping universes.
00:55:58
Zach Sheets
so so there's like there's like dead Tom Cruise's that have to constantly be to be cleaned up every time.
00:56:03
Chris Prime
Yep. I mean, each version of the universe, it's sort of the, like, parallax. Not parallax.
00:56:10
Zach Sheets
Like a parallel universe.
00:56:11
Chris Prime
Yeah, yeah, where every time there's that choice, it just splits off so that, you know, there's just universes where the humans lost and there's just a bunch of dead Tom Cruise's.
00:56:15
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:56:22
Chris Prime
Or how every time they do these kind of like choices, it splits off to multiverses.
00:56:27
Chris Prime
So there's no such thing as time travel. There's something called like just you universe reality jumping.
00:56:34
Zach Sheets
Yeah, what was...
00:56:34
Chris Prime
that's that but Rick and Morty did that.
00:56:37
Zach Sheets
Well, there's there's also like the Apple TV show. It's that Dark Matter. It's a... was basically... It was like a parallel universe show.
00:56:49
Chris Prime
Oh.
00:56:50
Zach Sheets
and then But then they had... like It was like every decision like makes a parallel universe. and then there's kind of like a thing with like, oh well, if... you know what What if there was like a bunch of like... of this of this guy because all the decisions.
00:57:04
Zach Sheets
Which have been of cool, like, if they're, like, it if, you know, it was, like, a parallel universe thing, there was, like, an army an army of Tom Cruise's shows up and, like, kills the aliens, but then he was, he was like, the alien army in Oblivion, but... Which you think, I think Oblivion came out, like,
00:57:27
Zach Sheets
before this like the year before this or something or like a couple years before this
00:57:30
Chris Prime
Two years? Like, yeah, wasn't that like the guy who made Dune made that one? Denis Valdú?
00:57:36
Zach Sheets
uh it was well no that was it was uh joseph kaczynski was like his that was like his follow-up to like tron legacy i think yeah i think i've read like kinda yeah
00:57:43
Chris Prime
Hmm.
00:57:46
Chris Prime
Kind of a similar plot as Tron.
00:57:51
Zach Sheets
But I think I read Tom Cruise like wrapped Oblivion and went into like pre-production on Edge of Tomorrow.
00:57:58
Zach Sheets
like Like immediately.
00:58:00
Chris Prime
I mean, he was on fire. He was like, all right, time to go. already know how to do sci-fi shit. Hey, don't tell me the concept. You just tell me along the way. Let's go.
00:58:09
Zach Sheets
You trusted... Because like this was also like a Chris Murray-Quarrie team up again.
00:58:17
Zach Sheets
Because they did Jack Reacher together, and then he's like, get Q in here to punch the script up for Edge Tomorrow. And I think that led into all the Mission Impossibles.
00:58:31
Zach Sheets
Oh yeah, because Rogue Nation was in the year after this, so it's like, alright, we did it. Edge of Tomorrow, now we're just going to do You're a Mission Impossible guy now.
Production Insights: Writer and Director Contributions
00:58:41
Zach Sheets
but i don't I don't think he... He didn't work with Doug Liman again, though. because I feel like a lot of people might misremember that I think Christopher Carr directed this, too. But like he just wrote it. like Doug Liman directed this movie.
00:58:54
Chris Prime
What did Doug Lemon make before?
00:58:56
Zach Sheets
I think his big thing was like the porn identity.
00:58:59
Zach Sheets
But then most recently, he did Roadhouse, the new one.
00:59:05
Zach Sheets
And I think, and then he's doing,
00:59:07
Zach Sheets
oh, is there is is there a sequel to Edge Tomorrow coming up? Because he said it said he's, he said it' no, like an actual, like, like he's got, like, live, die, repeat, and repeat in his, like, upcoming producer credits.
00:59:12
Chris Prime
The anime?
00:59:20
Chris Prime
Well, this was called Live, Die, Repeat. Remember?
00:59:24
Zach Sheets
Yeah, because the weird, because the weird, because because it didn't do well domestically. I think it did okay worldwide, but it wasn't like a breakout, like huge smash hit. And then for like the home video, like DVD and Blu-ray, they were trying to like, kind like maybe like repackage it or re-title it. So it's like, because the tagline was live, die, repeat, but then they made that like, of looks like the title where it was like, edge of tomorrow and like small letters, then like live, die, repeat was in like bigger letters.
00:59:56
Zach Sheets
Because Edge of Tomorrow is not a great title.
00:59:58
Chris Prime
No, it still doesn't quite.
00:59:59
Zach Sheets
We have we've talked about that, but yeah. it doesn't It doesn't explain the concept at all.
01:00:03
Chris Prime
If anything, it's like blue blood is more accurate or time blood.
01:00:07
Zach Sheets
was yeah Timeblood, yeah. It should have been just like Live, Dire, Repeat they like the entire... like That's such like a great like punchy, explains the concept.
01:00:17
Zach Sheets
But I mean, the manga title too is just like, all you need is kill. does doesn't have anything to do with time looping or...
01:00:24
Chris Prime
Yeah, but manga titles could just be like crazy and people would love it. You know what i mean? Like cartoon titles don't always need to make sense.
01:00:28
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
01:00:31
Chris Prime
Where if you're trying to sell like a Hollywood production thing, people do want a title that at least entices them.
01:00:31
Zach Sheets
Nice.
01:00:39
Chris Prime
At least for the average moviegoer. I think me and you are kind of like whatever. The movie could have been called like
01:00:47
Chris Prime
Get Up Maggot.
01:00:52
Chris Prime
And we would haveve been fine with it. I think this is like what Bill Paxson's like second to last movie?
01:01:01
Zach Sheets
I'm trying to remember because like he was he was he was working on the yeah the train day show when he died.
Bill Paxton's Role and Legacy
01:01:09
Zach Sheets
if if you remember that, remember when the train day show was happening?
01:01:15
Chris Prime
I forgot that one. Completely forgot about the Trillion Day show.
01:01:19
Zach Sheets
But that yeah, that was like his last like one of his last like film roles. But yeah, he he was in Nightcrawler the same year as Edge just Tomorrow.
01:01:31
Zach Sheets
and it looks like he was in a couple like other... He was in that movie, like The Circle, like that but the like Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, where it's like evil Facebook.
01:01:42
Chris Prime
Oh, yeah. He was in that?........................
01:01:44
Zach Sheets
i yeah yeah guess i think yeah you even said like a I never saw that movie. I he has like a small role in it. Like i got a sporting role in it
01:01:56
Zach Sheets
in it. Anything you showed up in, though. Bill Paxton, he was the best.
01:02:00
Zach Sheets
So I think that'll...
01:02:00
Chris Prime
I kind of wish there was more scenes with him in there.
01:02:03
Zach Sheets
Yeah, yeah yeah I think we we just said like he kind of like vanishes. like He's in it a lot in the beginning, and then it's kind of like... He set up like the more Groundhog Day comedic stuff in the beginning, and then he kind of just like disappears.
01:02:13
Zach Sheets
He doesn't even... Did he bring him on like the the final... like I guess i guess that he was like, hell no, we're not going on an unsectioned mission.
01:02:23
Zach Sheets
But it would been fun if feel like he went with them on the Louvre mission.
01:02:27
Chris Prime
Yeah, he's just like, alright, J-Squad, again, i hate you guys, but I love you guys. Let's do this crazy suicide mission.
01:02:33
Zach Sheets
Let's save the world through glorious combat.
01:02:36
Chris Prime
Yeah.
01:02:38
Chris Prime
Like, if anything, if the the Valkyrie showed up, he'd be like, oh, okay, I guess we have to go here. Like, he just be on board.
01:02:45
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it's like, all right, we're following Rita Furtaski, all right.
01:02:48
Chris Prime
Yeah, she's she's like a she's gonna bring us to crazy combat. I'm in. That's why I'm here.
Preview of Next Episode: Silent Hill Series
01:02:53
Zach Sheets
She'll take us to Valhalla.
01:02:58
Zach Sheets
But yeah, so I think they'll wrap things up for Edge of Tomorrow this week. Come back next week, we're heading to Silent Hill because there's a new Silent Hill movie coming to theaters.
01:03:10
Zach Sheets
Return to Silent Hill, which is going to be it's the same director, Christoph Gans, back. So where we're talking about his first Silent Hill movie next week.
01:03:19
Zach Sheets
we're We're in like a Silent Hill renaissance right now, I feel like, right?
01:03:23
Chris Prime
Yep.
01:03:23
Zach Sheets
Like we got, there's like
01:03:24
Chris Prime
Silent Hill F did really well.
01:03:26
Zach Sheets
I saw how 2 of the remake was like like super well received and great. And yes, now we're hopefully that maybe the movies are going to follow that trend.
01:03:35
Chris Prime
I don't know.
01:03:36
Zach Sheets
yeah
01:03:40
Zach Sheets
I mean, yeah, we'll so'll talk about the first one next week, which is like probably at the time it was like one of the better video game movies, but I don't We'll we'll dig into like how it works now next week.
01:03:54
Zach Sheets
yeah Head over to the site. We've got news for you trailers. Actually, we have review of Primate, if you want to read my review of that. of Basically, one of the first movies kicked off 2026 at theaters. It was like super fun, rid ridiculous, gory creature feature movie.
01:04:09
Zach Sheets
Sets up on the if want to read that. and Head over to all of our other stuff out there. Zach, and we will see you next week.