I’m not a fan of Tom Cruise, but he does get such great roles that sometimes when I see him on-screen I forget that I don’t like him.  Nonetheless, had his new “Edge of Tomorrow” flick not been available in the 3D IMAX format I would have seen X-Men instead and called it a day.

Alien invasion in 3D was just too tempting.

I enjoyed the experience, primarily because of the special effects. Maybe the glass of wine from the movie theatre bar was helpful, too.

I didn’t think “Edge of Tomorrow” was a great movie for two reasons. First, there was really nothing original. It felt like “Groundhog Day” meets “The Butterfly Effect” meets “Iron Man” meets Every-Alien-Invasion-Movie-Ever.

Second, there was no opportunity to develop an emotional bond with Tom Cruise’s lead character. I just didn’t care what happened to him, nor to his female lead played by Emily Blunt. Luckily the fate of the entire Earth was in question or I would have had no emotional stake in the plot whatsoever. The planet was the only character in the movie to whom I felt any connection.

On some level, “Edge of Tomorrow” is the shallow story of a shallow man facing his fears. It is a story of redemption, not only for the planet but for a single individual. It was just too bad that Cruise’s character was so wooden I really didn’t care.

What I did care about were CG spaceships, aliens, weapons and battles in 3D. The special effects alone were worth the price of admission, even if the script and acting were lackluster.