With the theme ‘live, die, repeat’, Edge of Tomorrow explores time-loop mechanics and alien invasions in one very long day on the shores of France.
In typical Tom Cruise fashion, his character in Edge of Tomorrow (2014) can be seen continually risking his life, in a seemingly infinite loop, to save the world yet again from extraterrestrial monsters. Directed by Doug Liman, this sci-fi action sleeper hit is based on the Japanese light novel (later adapted to a manga) All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.
Although the film becomes rather underwhelming in its final stretch, it largely avoids being redundant by experimenting with familiar sci-fi tropes in unexpected ways. The ending, however, deviates greatly from its source material, raising many questions about the final reiteration of events. What Is Edge of Tomorrow About?
It is the year 2020, and a horde of Mimics have been at war with humans since the past five years after taking over most of Europe. The film follows the story of the American public relations officer Major William “Bill” Cage, who confesses openly that he is “not a soldier”. He is the face of the global United Defense Force (UDF), and makes rounds on different talk shows to help drive up the number of recruits. However, General Brigham orders him to be on the front lines of a military operation in France, despite his inexperience in combat. He is assigned to the J-Squad, under Master Sergeant Farell. Predictably so, he is killed within a matter of minutes on the fateful day — but not before being covered in the blood of an unusually large Mimic. He wakes up to find himself 24 hours back in time, right when he first arrived at the military base at Heathrow Airport. He discovers that he is trapped in a time loop, where he is forced to relive his mistakes over and over again.
At some point in the “Wake up, maggot” cycle, Cage encounters Sgt. Rita Vrataski, who helped the UDF claim its first victory against the Mimics at the Battle of Verdun. She tells him that she was imprisoned in her own time loop, which enabled her to relive the battle multiple times. In the process of leading the defense to victory, she got badly injured and received a blood transfusion, making her lose the ability to reset the day.
Vrataski takes Cage to Dr.
