Any self-respecting fan of blockbuster sci-fi action has seen Doug Liman’s 2014 alien romp Edge of Tomorrow. Starring the ever-charismatic Tom Cruise and the always excellent Emily Blunt (along with an even more star-studded cast), the film was different than much of what Hollywood was pumping out at the time. Hot in the middle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and right before Disney released the controversial Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Edge of Tomorrow soared onto theaters with swagger and
style. It contained a brutal and unique spin on the alien genre that had been done so many times over, standing with the likes of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim as iconic cult “classics.”
Doug Liman, however, had some help developing the simple concept of “LIVE. DIE. REPEAT.” Ten years previously, all the way across the planet, Hiroshi Sakurazaka released arguably his most famous work. All You Need is Kill follows Keiji Kiriya, a soldier fighting against a mysterious alien invasion who, no matter what happens, cannot seem to die. After every brutal death, Keiji ends up waking up that same morning. Stuck in a Groundhog Day-esc time loop, Keiji must train himself through every fall in order to rise against this mysterious swarm. This novel was later adapted into a manga by the same name in 2014 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, with art done by Takeshi Obata (of Death Note fame).
2025’s adaptation of All You Need is Kill, this time being helmed by Kenichiro Akimoto, puts another new spin on this modern-classic sci-fi story. This new film put Rita at the forefront of the invasion of the cosmic entity known as “Darol.” Rita, originally the deuteragonist of the light novel and manga, stands out from the traditional main character of your average seinen anime. Her design pops, with bright orange hair popping against her cyan suit. And it works! Rita very much stands on her own as a character.
The first half of this film mainly follows Rita doing what this story is known for: Living. Dying. Repeating. It is only until her 92nd attempt that she becomes aware of another human experiencing the same phenomenon as her. Keiji is back! This time, replacing Rita as the deuteragonist. While Rita in the manga adopts her persona as “Full Metal Bitch,” a master at combat and killing whatever aliens dare come her way, Keiji does not have that same draw to him in the film. While Rita remains intense, her backstory hinted at throughout various flashbacks, we begin to understand the depravity of the experiences she is dealing with. This is what makes the first ha;lf so engaging for the audience: Learning along with Rita how to best defeat the flower monsters coming out of Darol.
Once Keiji is introduced, however, the film begins to fall a bit flat. Starting off as a wholly unique adaptation of a beloved story, Keiji’s nerdy, shy persona causes the story to ride along with tropes similar to those seen in many other anime series as well as Hollywood sci-fi movies. The audience is then subject to seeing awkward interactions between the two protagonists, both of which do not seem to have any sort of chemistry with the other. It causes an already fairly short film to drag, despite its measly 82 minute runtime.
Keiji’s introduction seems to jump the movie from the first act into the third act, skipping over a second act that may have better acclimated both the characters and the audience to the threat of Darol. Instead, the film opts for about fifteen minutes of awkward “romance” instead of attempting to gain more intrigue towards the aliens. Once they solve the problem, nothing new is thrown at them. No more questions left
until the shocking beginning of the third (second) act.
While the story does tend to fall flat, especially towards the middle and the end, that is not to say that there is nothing of substance contained within All You Need is Kill. Kenichiro Akimoto makes a risky attempt to completely change the art style from the original manga into his anime adaptation. Gone are the dark inked pages of Takeshi Obata, instead replaced by stylistic, brightly colored characters and environments animated skillfully by STUDIO4°C. This shift in direction works, too! All You Need is Kill looks brilliant, especially on the big screen. Every movement is fluid with dynamic creature designs and colors that explode beyond simply the screen that it is on. This movie succeeds the most here.
All of the performances in this film understand the assignment as well, the standouts being both Ai Mikami as Rita and Natsuki Hanae as Keiji. Hot off the tracks of both Chainsaw Man – The Movie: -Reze Arc- and Demon Slayer: Kimestu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, it is safe to say that Hanae has cemented himself as one of the busiest voice actors of the newest generation of anime. Mikami brings a passionate voice to Rita, her fear and desperation drawing out while seeing her character die again and again. She succeeds at bringing this emotion to the character, allowing the audience to feel each death. The music accentuates the two lead talents, with a bumping soundtrack composed by Yasuhiro Maeda.
So, is All You Need is Kill worth seeing? I think the best answer is yes, with an asterisk. The film is visually stunning, allowing the audience to be dazzled by the sheer spectacle of not only the animation but how beautiful the colors are, providing the perfect contrast to the darker subject matter of the story. Despite this, the story tends to fall a bit flat towards the end and, once you reach the resolution, the film does not feel as if it has earned an emotional response from the audience. It is an entertaining and fun watch, but nothing beyond that.
