A soldier who was killed in action gets caught up in a time loop, in which he repeatedly relives his last battle. However, the more times he fights, the closer he gets to discovering how to defeat the alien enemy. A film by Doug Liman, starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Kick Gurry, Jonas Armstrong, Charlotte Riley, Franz Drameh, Dragomir Mršić, and Brendan Gleeson.

In 2015, alien forces first landed in Germany. Dubbed Mimics by the media, they quickly spread across continental Europe. Since then, humanity has formed a global military alliance, the United Defense Force (UDF), to combat the Mimics. The UDF has developed exoskeleton combat suits called “Exosuit Jackets” that provide enhanced strength, speed, and protection for soldiers fighting the Mimics.

However, victory remains elusive due to the Mimics’ ability to mimic and even anticipate UDF actions. Humanity has suffered millions of casualties, losing battles against the Mimics, until the recent Battle of Verdun in 2020. Under the leadership of Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a rising war hero, the battle has rekindled humanity’s hope to defeat the Mimics and reclaim the world.

United States Military public affairs officer Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is summoned to General Brigham’s office in Britain after appearing in news broadcasts about “Operation Downfall,” considered the largest mechanized invasion in history.

Initially mistaken that General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) wants his assistance for public image reasons, since Brigham is responsible for the soldiers sent into battle, Cage is horrified when the General asks him to join the first wave of Operation Downfall on the beaches of France, reporting live from the battlefield. Cage declines the offer, asserting he chose this job to avoid the battlefield.

When Brigham insists it’s not an offer but an order that Cage must be on the beachfront, Cage threatens to blackmail Brigham. Infuriated, Brigham allows Cage to leave his office before ordering his military officers to arrest Cage. As Cage attempts to flee, a soldier shoots him with a taser gun, knocking him unconscious.

Cage wakes up and finds himself at the Forward Operating Base Heathrow. Cage is demoted to Private, and is assigned to Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton). Cage attempts to explain to Farell that he is a Major and there is a misunderstanding, and demands a phone call to his Commanding Officer in Washington. But Farell ignores Cage’s story entirely. Farrell’s report clearly states that Cage is a deserter who was caught impersonating an officer. The report also mentions that Cage would likely try to make an outside call and compromise the security of this operation.

Farrell takes Cage to J-Squad, the misfit team comprised of Griff (Kick Gurry), Skinner (Jonas Armstrong), Kimmel (Tony Way), Nance (Charlotte Riley), Ford (Franz Drameh), and Kuntz (Dragomir Mršić). Farrell accidentally discovers the playing cards J-Squad hides. Irritated by their gambling, a habit he despises, he forces each member to eat a playing card. He tasks J-Squad with keeping their eyes on Cage, making them all personally responsible for his deliverance and combat ready by 0600 tomorrow.

The next day, the UDF is ambushed by Mimics, forcing J-Squad to make a jump landing from the aircraft. Inexperienced in combat, Cage stumbles through the battlefield where UDF soldiers are being massacred. Shocked, he witnesses the death of the Angel of Verdun, Rita Vrataski. Surrounded by Mimics, J-Squad members are killed one by one. Only Cage remains when a strange and mysteriously glowing blue, giant Mimic appears. Cage accidentally kills the giant Mimic with a Claymore mine as it attacks him. The explosion also gravely injures Cage. However, before he dies, his body becomes covered in its blood.

Cage suddenly awakens at Forward Operating Base Heathrow. Initially confused, he believes he’s dreaming. However, everything that unfolds transpires exactly as he remembers it. This time, he attempts to save Vrataski’s life, only to find himself killed by another Mimic.

Cage wakes up and experiences multiple loops in which he dies on the beach and awakens again at Forward Operating Base Heathrow the day before Operation Downfall. His battle skills gradually increase with each loop, making him a better version of himself each time. Cage attempts to save Vrataski’s life again, and this time he succeeds. Vrataski is surprised that Cage appears to know in advance where and when the Mimics will attack. Recognizing Cage’s apparent prescience, Vrataski asks Cage to come and find her when he wakes up before allowing herself to be killed by an explosion.

Cage wakes up again, but now finding Vrataski becomes his new mission. Although it’s not an easy task as it takes several attempts before he can actually find his way fleeing from the platoon without anyone noticing or being run over by a military truck. Eventually, Cage manages to meet Vrataski, who has no memory of meeting him before. Cage explains that an alternate version of herself who will die on the beach tomorrow told him to come find her, hoping that she can shed light on what’s happening to him. Vrataski then realizes that Cage has experienced the same thing she did before the Battle of Verdun. Warning him not to talk about this with anyone but her, Vrataski leads him to see Dr. Carter.

Dr. Carter (Noah Taylor), a former top analyst at Whitehall, possesses deep knowledge about Mimics and believes they are a single organism controlled by a world-conquering entity, which Carter calls “The Omega.” The Omega possesses a special ability allowing it to reset the day back to a save point. Most Mimics act like the Omega’s claws. However, there’s a special Mimic, just like the one Cage killed, that Carter calls an Alpha. Alphas are rare; they’re like the central nervous system of The Omega. Whenever an Alpha is killed, an automatic response is triggered. The Omega starts the day over again while retaining the memory of what’s going to happen. This explains why the UDF keeps losing battles.

Vrataski once had the ability to reset the day when she was killed while covered in Alpha’s blood. The Omega’s power was transferred to her. With this new power, Vrataski’s skills improved significantly after many loops, leading the UDF to victory in the Battle of Verdun. However, she lost the power when she was injured in the battlefield and lost consciousness. Waking up in the field hospital, she discovered that she had been given a blood transfusion, and her ability was gone.

Vrataski believes the Omega allowed the UDF to win in the Battle of Verdun, instilling hope in humanity and fueling our belief that we can win. This led UDF to pour everything into Operation Downfall, unaware of the ultimate trap the Omega has set for its final move to destroy us all.

Cage holds the key to humanity’s survival. Personally trained by Vrataski, he must die every day until the Omega is destroyed. Dr. Carter elaborates that the Omega desperately searches for Cage to reclaim its power. When it finds him, Cage will be plagued by visions revealing the Omega and its hidden location.

Directed by American filmmaker Doug Liman from the screenplay written by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth, loosely based on the 2004 Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (桜坂洋), EDGE of TOMORROW boasts a compelling premise, engaging narrative, iconic character designs, exceptional visual effects, and stellar performances.

Although the core ideas of a time loop and a conflict with alien invaders are the same in both the novel and the film, the settings, character backgrounds, cultural context, and presentation differ. The novel was also adapted into a manga series illustrated by Takeshi Obata (小畑健) and written by Ryosuke Takeuchi (竹内良輔), serialized in 週刊ヤングジャンプ (Weekly Young Jump magazine) from January to May 2014.

While time loops and alien invasions are well-worn sci-fi tropes, EDGE of TOMORROW stands out as the first major Hollywood film to seamlessly blend them. From the top-notch casting and screenplay to the action, cinematography, sound design, suit design, and alien design, everything is a winner. If you’re a sci-fi fan, this film is a must-see on the biggest screen you can find.

EDGE of TOMORROW premiered in London, Paris, Belgium, and New York City on 28 May 2014. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 6 June, which was the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion during World War II.

The D-Day invasion, also known as the Normandy landings, took place on 6 June 1944. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history, with over 150,000 Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. The invasion was a major turning point in World War II, leading to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s occupation.

On 5 July 2022, EDGE of TOMORROW was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray in the United States. The 4K UHD Blu-ray offers an enhanced viewing experience with its 4K (2160p) HEVC / H.265 video encode, presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Although upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate, it provides improved detail, clarity, and depth compared to the standard Blu-ray, and features HDR10 high dynamic range for better contrast and color. The audio options include an English Dolby Atmos surround sound mix, along with additional 7.1 and 5.1 Dolby Digital language tracks. While the 4K disc itself doesn’t contain special features, the included Blu-ray disc offers a comprehensive set of extras, including “Operation Downfall – Adrenaline Cut,” “Storming The Beach,” “Weapons Of The Future,” “Creatures Not Of This World,” “On The Edge With Doug Liman,” and deleted scenes, providing fans with an in-depth look at the film’s production and universe.