It was bound to be a flop. It had to be a flop. But Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow is emerging as one of the best movies of 2014 and has put a small group of smarmy movie writers like myself, - who lumped it in with Oblivion when we should have been thinking District 9 - firmly in our place.

Tom Cruise Edge of TomorrowTom Cruise in 'Edge of Tomorrow'

Doug Liman, whose last movie was the critically derided Jumper, was given the job of helming EOT and appears to have done a fine, fine job with a quality cast that includes Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton

More: Watch the Edge of Tomorrow trailer

The action unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault. Unbeatable by the military, Major William Cage (Cruise) is dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission and is killed within minutes. However, he finds himself thrown into a time loop forcing him to live out the same combat over and over again - eventually being able to engage effectively with his adversaries while developing fighting skills. He is joined by Special Forces warrior Rita (Blunt) and the pair begin to get closer to defeating the ultimate enemy. 

More: The Top 10 grossing Tom Cruise movies

"A playful and frantic science-fiction twister which mimics the best (Aliens, The Matrix, Groundhog Day) while offering something fresh and - most importantly - thrilling," said Dan Jolin of Empire magazine.

"Tom Cruise stars in this cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller about a soldier forced to relive the same day over and over again," wrote Justin Chang of Variety.

Tom Cruise Emily BluntTom Cruise [L] and Emily Blunt [R] in 'Edge of Tomorrow'

"Cruise and Blunt are both superb, the action sequences are genuinely thrilling and the effects work is impressive throughout," said Matthew Turner of The List.

"It's "Aliens" meets "Groundhog Day" meets "Starship Troopers" meets "Source Code", and each of those films' best traits are expertly deployed into "Edge of Tomorrow"" said Kristian Harloff of Schmoes Knows.

"Feels sharper and more clever than it might have been in other hands, and for a big summer star vehicle, that's surprise enough," said Alonso Duralde of The Wrap.

"Edge of Tomorrow remains as an unadulterated, captivating thriller, which revels in being such unreservedly good fun," said our friend Stefan Pape at HeyUGuys.

Edge of Tomorrow hits theaters in the U.S on June 6, 2014. 

More: Everything you need to know about 'Edge of Tomorrow'