After watching “Amazing Spiderman 2,” I was worried that this summer wouldn’t be worthy of 2013’s, which had a few duds but was mostly successful. Then I saw “Edge of Tomorrow.”

“Edge of Tomorrow” tells the tale of Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a man who has never seen war before but who is stripped of his rank and forced to battle aliens known as Mimics. Armed in a high-tech battle suit, Cage is dropped into an ongoing fight with the Mimics, who are invading Earth and seem to be winning. He is killed, but not before blowing a rare Alpha Mimic to pieces, causing it to transfer its powers of regeneration to Cage himself. Cage then wakes up where he was two days before and is forced to live and die over and over, repeating his fate. He meets Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who informs him that she too was given the power of the Alpha Mimic. She tells him he needs to use the power to defeat the Mimics and end the invasion.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is one sleek, stylish, smart film. You would think that the repetition would wear on viewers, but it doesn’t. Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie justifies the time-loop plot enough that it doesn’t leave us scratching our heads after the credits start to roll. Plus, he cleverly adds some sly jokes, which relieve the tension from the hardcore violence. But I was left wishing that the characters were more than one note. Nobody matters by the end.

Visually, “Edge of Tomorrow” is stunning. The Mimics are beautifully original creatures. Everything about the film is pure detail, from the suits the soldiers wear to the ships and the creatures.

While Cruise is over 50, he’s still very capable of starring in an action film. He’s charming and convincing as Cage. Emily Blunt seems to almost always be underused in films, though she’s very talented. She puts a lot of oomph into her character and outshines Cruise multiple times. And Bill Paxton is an added pleasure.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a beautiful, smart, and entertaining film, showcasing what summer blockbusters should be – and it shows that Cruise can still cruise through an action film.