Tom Cruise's 113-Minute Time Travel Movie Is Quietly One Of His Best

Published Aug 1, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. While Tom Cruise has made a lot of classic movies over the years, a sci-fi action thriller from the 2010s still stands out as one of his greatest blockbusters. It is pretty easy to split Tom Cruise’s filmography into the big-budget blockbusters and the critically acclaimed drama movies that prove he is not just a credible actor, but one of the foremost screen talents of his generation. Although the star’s attempts to reboot The Mummy franchise ended in critical failure, the former camp is still fairly full for Cruise. There is the entire Mission: Impossible franchise, the Top Gun movies, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, the Jack Reacher movies, The Last Samurai, Days of Thunder, Oblivion, and many, many more iconic blockbusters. Then, when it comes to Cruise’s more serious acting accolades, viewers can point to The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, and Collateral. Of course, there are times when these two categories overlap. The Last Samurai was a massive blockbuster, but it is also a solid showcase for Cruise’s acting abilities. Collateral showed a whole new side of Cruise’s screen persona, but was also a big mainstream hit at the box office. Meanwhile, Cruise’s 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire was both a box office success and a testament to the thespian’s acting prowess. However, 2014’s underrated sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow falls squarely in the former category. Tom Cruise Hasn't Made Many Movies Better Than Edge Of Tomorrow Directed by Mr. & Mrs. Smith helmer Doug Liman, a reliable journeyman who also helmed the underrated Jumper and Go, Edge of Tomorrow is a dystopian sci-fi military thriller with an irresistible premise. After an alien species invades earth and starts a full-blown war of the worlds, Cruise’s military desk jockey, Major William Cage, is thrown into the front line infantry and forced to do battle against these extraterrestrial villains. So far, so War of the Worlds coded, but the twist is that, as soon as Edge of Tomorrow’s woefully underprepared protagonist dies, he is reincarnated by a time loop that throws him right back into the action and forces him to live—and fight—another day. What follows is a surprisingly silly, playful thriller that calls to mind the best of ‘90s sci-fi action movies like Independence Day and Starship Troopers. A military thriller with enough dark humor to keep its tongue firmly in cheek, Edge of Tomorrow blends both Cruise’s well-worn action-man persona and his less well-known, but equally well-honed comedy chops. Cage is a perfect everyman protagonist turned unlikely action hero, and Cruise truly sells this hapless, conflict-averse antihero’s slow transformation into a super-soldier. What's Happening With Edge Of Tomorrow 2? With a superb supporting cast including Emily Blunt and Brendan Gleeson, Edge of Tomorrow is a must-watch for fans of sci-fi action. Where the superficially similar The Tomorrow War takes itself far too seriously for its own good, Cruise’s movie utilizes the actor’s charisma and casts him against type as a goofy, blundering character to make its leading man more relatable and human and its story more fun. As such, it should come as no surprise that Edge of Tomorrow was both a critical and commercial success upon its 2014 release. Earning $381 million on a budget of $178 million, Edge of Tomorrow was called gripping and clever by critics, who compared its slick action to Liman’s first Jason Bourne movie. Sadly, this success didn’t do anything to fast-track the arrival of its long-rumored sequel. Liman signed on to direct an Edge of Tomorrow sequel a full decade ago in 2016, revealing in 2018 that the movie was set to be his next project. However, in January 2020, the director said the sequel was still in the planning stages, and Cruise’s packed slate has been blamed for the project’s lack of progress in the years since. As such, Edge of Tomorrow still hasn’t received a follow-up, despite being a cult classic. Release Date June 6, 2014 Runtime 114 minutes Director Doug Liman Writers Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Hiroshi Sakurazaka Producers Erwin Stoff, Gregory Jacobs, Jeffrey Silver, Jason Hoffs, Tom Lassally Sequel(s) Edge of Tomorrow 2