The most underrated time travel movie of all time has a new streaming home ‣ Diverse Daily

Do you remember Groundhog’s Day? No, not the holiday. I’m referring to that silly 1993 movie starring Bill Murray as a self-absorbed meteorologist who finds himself trapped in a perpetual time loop reliving Groundhog’s Day over and over again. It’s a timeless classic, really. Murray’s Phil Connors must learn a lesson of life, love, and tolerance before the mystical spell is broken, and he can continue living his life beyond the seemingly endless Groundhog’s Day loop.

Over the years, the time loop angle has been employed in different genres to great effect. In 2017, Happy Death Day cast a cheeky horror spin on the narrative trope made famous by Groundhog’s Day. A young college student is forced to relive the day of her murder by a masked killer. She surmises that unmasking the killer will end the loop and free her from the perpetual prison. It’s an interesting premise that proves to be delightful and harrowing, as the heroine of the story is forced to confront herself and grow with each passing repeated day. Even the recently popular Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die features a time loop at the center of its story, controlled by a strange man from the future who is seeking to build a team to stop a rogue AI. If you ever wanted to see a massive centaur made entirely of kittens snack on catatonic teens glued to their phones, well, this movie is for you.

However, there is one sci-fi time loop film that truly takes the cake. The 2014 Tom Cruise-led movie Edge of Tomorrow presents the ultimate time loop scenario in a method that evokes a theatrical version of what it’d be like to be in a video game. There’s plenty of action as well as a gnarly twist.

Subscription with ads: Yes
Premium Subscription: $12.99

Edge of Tomorrow is the sci-fi thriller you’ve been looking for

Gaming fans will surely relate

The movie centers around a cowardly military officer, Major William Cage (Cruise). He does everything he can to stay off the front-lines of a war with an alien race that has enacted a ground assault campaign in Europe. However, his efforts are futile, and he is, in fact, forced into combat. Pretty quickly, the good Major is killed in action but suddenly reawakens a day before the ground assault. Mysteriously caught in a time loop that resets each time he dies in combat, Cage attempts to understand the reason behind his predicament while learning all he can about his enemy.

The life-death-reset loop is a premise that video game fans will surely relate to. Cage’s quest feels very much like a push to reach a boss-level objective but finds that he has to restart each time he perishes. Don’t worry, unlike Groundhog’s Day, there is a tangible explanation for why he is caught in a time loop. Each new run at the alien race reveals new information that layers the narrative with twists and turns that’ll make this thrill ride one to rewatch. If you haven’t seen Edge of Tomorrow, do yourself a favor and watch it now. For those who have seen this action-heavy sci-fi romp, you can rewatch it on its new streaming platform.

Tom Cruise leads the fight against the mimics

Edge of Tomorrow returns to streaming

Major Cage (Tom Cruise) in combat in Edge of Tomorrow

You can watch this now-decade-old sci-fi hit over on Paramount+. So, if you already have a subscription to the service. What are you waiting for? Edge of Tomorrow is an easy recommendation. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt deliver an engaging performance. On top of that, you’ve got aliens, a weird time loop, action, and even humor. Yes, that’s right. Edge of Tomorrow has plenty of moments of levity despite its dark themes. There’s really no excuse not to watch this incredibly well-made film.

Now, if you don’t have Paramount+, there are a couple ways you can get access. The first is the most obvious method: subscribe. The cost is $8.99/month (with ads). There is an additional tier that comes at a premium if you prefer your streaming content ad-free. But, if you already have Walmart+, then you can obtain access to either Paramount+ or Peacock (with ads) depending on what you choose. If you don’t have Paramount+ and aren’t sure whether you want to spend your hard-earned dollars on yet, another streaming service, there is another way you can sample the service for an extremely low cost. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial of Walmart+ for just $1. This will grant you access to Paramount+ (if you choose) for that period. You can then check out Edge of Tomorrow and all the other content the service has to offer. It’s a great opportunity to see if Paramount+ is a worthwhile subscription.

Edge of Tomorrow

Release Date: June 6, 2014
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: Doug Liman
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Hiroshi Sakurazaka