Double Feature

War of the Worlds (2005)

Tom Cruise takes on the Tripods in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi spectacle War of the Worlds. With our planet invaded by extraterrestrials hellbent on the destruction of mankind, everyman Ray Ferrier (Cruise) tries to keep himself and his kids alive long enough to get them from his home in New Jersey to their mother, who is staying in Boston. Along the way, the Ferrier clan is confronted by multitudinous alien attacks and situations of extreme peril. With a killer score by longtime collaborator John Williams and spectacular visual effects by Industrial Light and Magic, Spielberg helms this post 9/11 big budget, disaster film with his trademark blockbuster aplomb.

“With War of the Worlds [Spielberg] has made what is arguably one of the best 1950s science fiction films ever.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Steven Spielberg has made the anti-Close Encounters in War of the Worlds, a gritty, intense and supremely accomplished sci-fier about some distinctly unbenign alien invaders.” – Todd McCarthy, Variety

“There likely won’t be a more gripping film this year than Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds, which at its best glides along like choreography with a camera, slowly parsing out information while shrouding the rest in shadow and suggestion” – Scott Tobias, AV Club

Edge of Tomorrow

Live die repeat. Live die repeat. Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow is an impeccably timed sci-fi thrill-ride, a jaw-dropping mech bomb of pulse-pounding action, sly humor and truly impressive visual effects. When aliens attack, it’s all hands on deck. But when Tom Cruise is killed in combat, he’s sent into a time loop, Groundhog Day style, to repeat events until he gets it right. And with each pass he gains new skills & knowledge that may help him overcome the global threat, convince fellow fighter Emily Blunt that his plight is real and finally make it to tomorrow. Working with a clever script co-written by Jack Reacher / Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie, it’s Cruise at the absolute top of his game with a badass Blunt shining through every scene like a superstar. It’s one of the best studio blockbusters in years.

“The conceit may sound constricting, but Liman (like Harold Ramis before him) gets exceptional mileage out of it, presenting his ever-revolving tale with visual style, narrative velocity, and a wonderful dose of dark humor.” – Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

“Just when you were ready to give up on the summer season and its cookie-cutter, been-there blockbusters, Edge of Tomorrow saves the day. It’s a star-driven mass-market entertainment that’s smart, exciting and unexpected while not stinting on genre satisfactions.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times