Home/Episodes/Edge of Tomorrow

'Edge of Tomorrow' With Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan

March 23, 2020 · Edge of Tomorrow (2014) · Action · Adventure · Sci-Fi · 1:22:30 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

Categories

Half-Assed Internet Research

Chris RyanDiscussed the movie's place among time loop/Groundhog Day movies and noted qualities that make it rewatchable - you can watch it analytically (counting deaths, tracking what Cage learns) or just turn off your brain during exposition scenes.▶ 25:33
Sean FennesseyEight screenwriters contributed to the screenplay, starting with Dante Harper's $3 million spec script that made the 2010 Blacklist. Multiple writers including the Butterworths, Simon Kinberg, and Christopher McQuarrie all worked on it, with McQuarrie likely responsible for most of the final dialogue and comedic tone that compares Cage's deaths to Wile E. Coyote cartoons.▶ 22:29

Most Rewatchable Scene

Chris RyanAgrees with SPEAKER_00's picks and adds the poker hand reading scene where Cage walks into J-Squad camp and reads everyone's cards, showing he's become the smartest guy in the room▶ 38:38
Sean FennesseyMultiple scenes including: Major Cage's first meeting with General Brigham, waking up in J-Squad for the first time, the airdrop and first battle sequence, Cage seeking out Rita and training montage, drive to Lyon/farmhouse, return engagement with General Brigham, and the final action shot with grenade rings▶ 30:47

What's Aged the Best

What's Aged the Worst

Chris RyanThe loop stuff in the dark Louvre sequence where the internal logic becomes unknotted and characters survive impossible falls▶ 48:28
Sean FennesseyThe alien plot scaffolding, the romantic subplot/kiss, unoriginal mimics, blah techno score, and especially the ending in general as the key flaw▶ 47:24

Casting What-Ifs

Chris RyanBrad PittBrad Pitt would need to be the winking fun version from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, not the self-serious World War Z version; Gosling would be cool if it's the comic Nice Guys version, not the blank Drive/Blade Runner version▶ 51:48
Sean FennesseyBrad PittCruise is just better and a clearly better fit than Brad Pitt; glad they didn't go with Pitt▶ 52:11

Dion Waiters Award

Chris RyanBill PaxtonBill Paxton - praises his performance doing the 'feral speech' and his soldier character work▶ 54:41
Sean FennesseyBill PaxtonGleason initially, but switches to Bill Paxton after discussion▶ 54:18

Joey Pants Award

Chris RyanTony WayDiscussed Terrence Maynard, Kimmel, and Charlotte Riley as possibilities but deferred to Tony Way▶ 1:04:31

Best Quote

Chris RyanGriff's quote 'I've never been with two girls at the same time before. But you can bet when that day comes, I'll make it work' and 'Come find me when you wake up'▶ 1:12:42
Sean FennesseyMultiple quotes including 'On your feet, maggot', 'I think there's something wrong with your suit... There's a dead guy in it', 'Have I got something on my face, soldier?', 'What do we do now? I don't know. We've never gotten this far', and Paxton's 'Battle is the great redeemer' speech▶ 1:11:58

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Chris RyanMajor Cage died something close to a year of deaths (using Rita's 300 deaths of Hendrix as baseline and 10,000 hours rule), and agrees the movie caused the 2016 election outcome▶ 1:17:01
Sean FennesseyHow many times Major Cage died, and whether the movie is responsible for the 2016 election results because it showed Hillary Clinton as president▶ 1:16:54

Apex Mountain

Sean FennesseyDiscusses Emily Blunt's career trajectory through various action movies but doesn't give a definitive apex pick▶ 1:19:37

Who Won the Movie

Chris RyanTom CruiseCruz (Tom Cruise), but could be talked into Blunt▶ 1:20:43
Sean FennesseyTom CruiseThinks Cruise, Lyman, and Blunt all have a lot to be proud of; notes it's probably one of the most liked Emily Blunt and Doug Lyman movies, while for Cruise it fits somewhere in his top 20▶ 1:20:52

Movies Referenced (57)

Title (year)LinksMentionsMentioned byFirst
Aliens (1986)IMDb ↗Lb ↗11Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 3:29
Alien (1979)IMDb ↗Lb ↗10Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 4:28
Groundhog Day (1993)IMDb ↗Lb ↗7Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 22:04
Noah (2014)IMDb ↗Lb ↗7Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 2:34
Uncharted (2022)IMDb ↗Lb ↗7Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:00:13
The Beach (2000)IMDb ↗Lb ↗6Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 31:00
Jack Reacher (2012)IMDb ↗Lb ↗4Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 11:31
Oblivion (2013)IMDb ↗Lb ↗4Sean Fennessey▶ 11:31
Sicario (2015)IMDb ↗Lb ↗3Chris Ryan▶ 44:32
Valkyrie (2008)IMDb ↗Lb ↗3Sean Fennessey▶ 11:26
Vanilla Sky (2001)IMDb ↗Lb ↗3Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 53:36
World War Z (2013)IMDb ↗Lb ↗3Chris Ryan▶ 5:32

Directors Referenced (17)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Doug LimanIMDb ↗Lb ↗26Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanEdge of Tomorrow, Swingers▶ 2:11
Tony ScottIMDb ↗Lb ↗3Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanUnstoppable, True Romance▶ 12:31
David O. RussellIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Chris RyanAmerican Hustle, Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook▶ 1:00:20
Stanley KubrickIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Chris Ryan, Sean FennesseyA Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon▶ 14:07
Bryan SingerIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean FennesseyX-Men, The Usual Suspects▶ 15:11
Cameron CroweIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanAlmost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky▶ 53:50
Clint EastwoodIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean FennesseyMillion Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 13:31
Danny BoyleIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean Fennessey127 Hours, 28 Days Later▶ 26:29
Denis VilleneuveIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanBlade Runner 2049▶ 1:01:05
Francis Ford CoppolaIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanApocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II▶ 7:14
Guy RitchieIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanSherlock Holmes, Snatch▶ 1:04:31
John Lee HancockIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean FennesseyThe Blind Side▶ 1:15:09

Actors Referenced (40)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Tom CruiseIMDb ↗Lb ↗50Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanTop Gun, Minority Report▶ 2:32
Emily BluntIMDb ↗Lb ↗18Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanEdge of Tomorrow, The Devil Wears Prada, The Adjustment Bureau▶ 2:34
Bill PaxtonIMDb ↗Lb ↗11Sean FennesseyAliens, Apollo 13▶ 2:34
Brad PittIMDb ↗Lb ↗8Chris Ryan, Sean FennesseyFight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 7:42
Brendan GleesonIMDb ↗Lb ↗8Chris Ryan, Sean FennesseyIn Bruges▶ 2:34
Ryan GoslingIMDb ↗Lb ↗7Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanBlue Valentine, La La Land▶ 52:17
GeneralIMDb ↗Lb ↗6Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 30:47
Noah TaylorIMDb ↗Lb ↗6Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanAlmost Famous▶ 2:34
Michael LernerIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Sean FennesseyBarton Fink▶ 23:25
Urban Dance SquadIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Chris Ryan, Sean FennesseyPump Up the Volume▶ 32:54
Daniel NegreanuIMDb ↗Lb ↗3Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 38:47
Jeremy PivenIMDb ↗Lb ↗3Sean Fennessey▶ 50:15

Writers Referenced (9)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Christopher McQuarrieIMDb ↗Lb ↗8Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanThe Usual Suspects, Mission: Impossible - Fallout▶ 2:22
Jez ButterworthIMDb ↗Lb ↗4Sean Fennessey, Chris RyanEdge of Tomorrow▶ 2:22
Dante HarperIMDb ↗Lb ↗3Sean Fennessey▶ 22:43
Jon FavreauIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Chris RyanChef, Iron Man, Swingers▶ 1:18:33
Tom HollandIMDb ↗Lb ↗2Sean FennesseyChild's Play▶ 1:15:17
Charlie KaufmanIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean Fennessey▶ 1:15:15
Dan GilroyIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanNightcrawler▶ 20:23
James CameronIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Chris RyanAvatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 57:07
Simon KinbergIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean FennesseyThe Martian▶ 24:16

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

NameLinksMentionsMentioned byKnown ForFirst
Todd HeaterIMDb ↗Lb ↗1Sean Fennessey▶ 37:24