Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

May 28, 2014 (London IMAX)June 6, 2014 (United States)

May 28, 2014 (London IMAX)
June 6, 2014 (United States)

Edge of Tomorrow is a 2014 American science fiction action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Christopher McQuarrie and the writing team of Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, loosely based on the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, the film takes place in a future where most of Europe is occupied by an alien race. Major William Cage (Cruise), a public relations officer with no combat experience, is forced by his superiors to join a landing operation against the aliens, only to find himself experiencing a time loop as he tries to find a way to defeat the invaders. Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleesonalso appear in supporting roles.

In late 2009, 3 Arts Entertainment purchased the rights to All You Need Is Kill and sold the spec script to Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio produced Edge of Tomorrow with the involvement of 3 Arts, the novel's publisher Viz Media, and Australian production company Village Roadshow. Filming began in late 2012, taking place in England: at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, outside London, and other locations, such as London's Trafalgar Square and the coastal Saunton Sands. A total of nine companies handled the visual effects.

Edge of Tomorrow was released theatrically in select territories on May 30, 2014, and in the United States on June 6, 2014. The film underperformed at the box office, but received positive reviews from critics, who praised the plot, direction, action sequences, and performances. It grossed over $370.5 million worldwide in its theatrical run. Since then, it has been considered one of the best action films of the 2010s.

Storyline

In 2015, an alien race known as "Mimics" lands in Germany and swiftly conquers much of continental Europe, killing millions. By 2020, humanity has formed a global military alliance, the United Defense Force (UDF), to combat the Mimics. However, victory remained elusive until the recent Battle of Verdun, which was secured by the celebrated war hero Sergeant Rita Vrataski.

In Britain, the UDF amasses forces for a major invasion of France. General Brigham orders public affairs officer Major William Cage to cover the offensive from the frontline, but the inexperienced and cowardly Cage attempts to blackmail Brigham into rescinding the order. Brigham has Cage arrested, demoted to Private and sent to the military base at Heathrow Airport to join the invasion as infantry. He is assigned to Master Sergeant Farell and the misfit J-Squad, who dislike and belittle him. The following day, the invasion forces land on a French beach but are ambushed and massacred by Mimics. Cage uses a Claymore mine to kill a larger "Alpha" Mimic. Bathed in the Mimic's blood, Cage dies during the ensuing explosion.

Cage suddenly awakens at Heathrow, realizing he is reliving the previous morning. He makes failed attempts to warn against the invasion, and experiences multiple loops in which he dies on the beach only to awaken again at Heathrow. With each loop, his combat skills and knowledge of the battlefield improve. He tries to save Vrataski's life so she can lead them but, after recognizing his apparent prescience, she allows herself to die, ordering Cage to find her on his next loop.

Cage quickly convinces Vrataski of the reset because she gained the same power after exposure to an Alpha's blood. Her loops enabled her, an initially inexperienced soldier, to win at Verdun, but a later blood transfusion removed the power. Vrataski takes Cage to Mimic expert Dr. Carter, who explains the creatures are a superorganism controlled by a single, gigantic "Omega" Mimic. Whenever the Alpha Mimics are killed, the Omega restarts a loop and adjusts its tactics until the Mimics win. Vrataski realizes the Mimics allowed the UDF victory at Verdun to make them overconfident in their new exoskeletons and lure them into overcommitting their forces in retaking Europe, allowing the Mimics to exterminate most of the resistance.

Cage spends many loops training with Vrataski so they can reach the Omega, but he begins to care for her and struggles after seeing her repeatedly die. He experiences a vision of the Omega concealed in a German dam, and he and Vrataski seek it out. During the journey, the pair bond, but Vrataski remains distant, having seen someone she cared about die hundreds of times at Verdun. She eventually determines that this is not the first loop in which they approached the Omega. Cage reveals that she always dies before reaching the dam, regardless of his actions, and he is unwilling to kill the Omega and end the loops if she will remain dead. Upset, Vrataski attempts to leave but is killed by a Mimic. Despondent, during the next loop, Cage travels to the dam alone. He learns the vision was a trap and is ambushed by an Alpha, but Cage drowns before it can remove his power.

To find the Omega, Cage and Vrataski sneak into General Brigham's office and pressure him into handing over a prototype transponder designed by Carter. Having used it to locate the Omega beneath the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, Cage is knocked unconscious during their escape and given a blood transfusion for his injuries, removing his power.

Vrataski frees Cage, and he uses his detailed knowledge of J-Squad to convince them to help destroy the Omega. They fly to Paris, where the squad members sacrifice themselves to ensure Cage and Vrataski reach the Louvre. Cornered by an Alpha, Vrataski kisses Cage, lamenting that she does not have more time to get to know him. The Alpha kills Vrataski and mortally wounds Cage, but he drops several grenades that destroy the Omega and bathe him in its blood.

Cage awakens before his first meeting with General Brigham, and witnesses a news announcement that all Mimics are dead following a mysterious energy surge in Paris. Cage returns to Heathrow and finds Vrataski. Oblivious to his identity, she inquires what he wants; Cage chuckles.

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