One of the most notable live-action adaptations of a Japanese property is Edge of Tomorrow, a loose adaptation of the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill. Like many movies of its kind, the film abandoned all the Japanese elements of the original story for a Westernized take on things, although, unlike movies like Dragonball Evolution and Ghost in the Shell, the plot was largely kept the same.
With the numerous divergences in the plot and the whitewashing of the principal cast, most egregiously by replacing the Japanese Kenji Kiriya with the American William Cage played by Tom Cruise, it has all the usual problems on a surface level, but surprisingly, Edge of Tomorrow’s writing and overall production make it a great action film that stands far above the typical live-action anime adaptations. At this point, any sort of follow-up is long off the table, but anime fans would be remiss to ignore it, either way.
Why Edge Of Tomorrow Is Such An Underrated Action Film
What Makes Edge Of Tomorrow So Great
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Edge of Tomorrow wasn’t the biggest movie of the 2010s, both critically and financially, but it was nonetheless a fun film to watch. Not only was there plenty of great action and visual effects that hold up surprisingly well, but Edge of Tomorrow managed to put a twist on a time loop narrative that was just as fun as it was in the original novel, if not more so. As basic as it all is, the presentation more than makes up for it, and that’s why Edge of Tomorrow remains so fun to this day.
What especially sold Edge of Tomorrow was Tom Cruise’s performance as William Cage. Not only did he have great chemistry with Emily Blunt’s Rita Vrataski, but as the film goes on, Tom Cruise does a perfect job of selling William Cage as someone who grows from a cowardly person into a competent fighter and true hero through his always stunning character acting. It’s a wholly different take on the hero compared to the novel, but with how great a take it is, it’s hard to find any fault in it.
The Biggest Differences Between Edge Of Tomorrow & All You Need Is Kill Explained
What Makes Edge Of Tomorrow & All You Need Is Kill So Different
Much of what makes Edge of Tomorrow work as a story comes from the differences between it and All You Need Is Kill. Naturally, William Cage is an American protagonist as opposed to the novel starring the Japanese Kenji Kiriya, but rather than give Cage Kenji’s personality, Cage is depicted as a coward who needs to grow into a hero as opposed to Kenji being determined from the start. The way Edge of Tomorrow changed its hero’s personality makes for a far more dynamic narrative compared to All You Need Is Kill, and the story plenty benefits from it.
The way the story plays out is also a major divergence. While the novel had an open ending with Kenji resolved to continue the fight following Rita’s sacrifice, not only does the film find a way to resolve the time loop while keeping Rita alive, but Edge of Tomorrow ends its story with the ultimate defeat of the Mimics in a surprisingly organic way. It’s far more optimistic than the novel, but overall, it’s framed in a way that’s hard to object to.
While shows and movies like Dragonball Evolution, Death Note, and Cowboy Bebop were always worse off for all the changes made to their plot, All You Need Is Kill was structured in a way that allowed its story to work in any setting within reason, and because of that, Edge of Tomorrow’s multiple divergences from the source material allowed its story to develop in a way that was just as good as the original, if not better. It’s still far from the best of its sort of adaptation, but fortunately, it’s nowhere close to being among the worst.
Will Edge Of Tomorrow’s Story Ever Be Continued In The Future?
Is There More In Store For Edge Of Tomorrow?
Edge of Tomorrow had a lot going for it, and that begs the question of whether there’s anything else in store for the franchise. While an Edge of Tomorrow sequel was greenlit in 2016 and a TV show spinoff in 2022, there’s been no further word on either project since then, and the sequel, in particular, seems to be all but canceled with how long it’s been in development. Edge of Tomorrow’s mixed reception and a box office that barely broke even are probably the biggest reasons why its sequel likely isn’t happening, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Naturally, there’s also a hypothetical anime to consider. As a Japanese novel, an anime would be a logical step, especially since All You Need Is Kill was adapted into a manga by Takeshi Obata of Death Note fame, but unfortunately, the mixed reception of Edge of Tomorrow has likely killed its viability as a franchise, which would also include a possible All You Need Is Kill anime adaptation. That’s unfortunate to think about with how great the story is in every form, so hopefully, Edge of Tomorrow will prove it has more to offer sooner, rather than later.
No One Saw Hollywood’s Best Live-Action Anime Coming, But Tom Cruise Nailed It
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