‘All You Need is Kill’, the title of the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazake off of which this film is based, might have been a better title only for the multiple times that—well, you’ll have to see the movie to truly cherish and appreciate the title. Still, it’s a must-see due to its originality, character development, and a platform for why Emily Blunt is a killer heroine (no pun intended). After an accident involving aliens attacking London, Cage (Tom Cruise), a recruiter-turned-soldier, gets their blood mixed into his system that allows him to relive the same day repeatedly helping him attempt to save the city from being overrun.

The most difficulty that screenwriters and directors face in developing a storyline is with stories involving time travel and/or covering the same day repeatedly without making their audiences extremely bored. Over the duration of this film, we are shown the same day several times and yet there’s something different covered in each sequence. With each accident or screw-up made by Cage, we enter the same day again, but in different scenarios as Cage’s attempts to find out how to defeat these aliens progresses. Editor James Herbert did a masterful job with this as he spliced together sequences from different situations within the same day and cutting from one single shot to the next (paired perfectly with music by Christophe Beck) to signify that our main character has gone through this part of the day already. Screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth have formed a tight script with how the characters interact with each other through repeats of the same day also edited in the same style as the action sequences. Not a detail is left unpolished as our two main characters draw closer to each other amidst having to fight and defeat time-bending aliens.

‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has a lot of layers. We are seeing a science-fiction action film unfold in which our protagonists have to work together, both having very different, but strong personalities, one of which has to reacquaint himself with the same woman for whom he’s developing feelings and the other of who has no recollection of the guy falling for her from day-to-day. Rita (Blunt) isn’t just someone who knows what he’s going through, but someone who’s harboring some dark secrets of her own. While this makes her an ideal and highly respected soldier, it also serves as a character flaw. Both of our characters have to be willing to make sacrifices mentally and emotionally and these dire circumstances provide the best conditions for their individual transformations.

‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is a very character driven film and it’s executed beautifully, which makes it stand out as one of this year’s best blockbusters. Although a little foggy logically, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ is quite the thrill ride and refreshingly original.

Jim’s Rating: 8.5/10