All You Need Is Kill – Review

Everyday girl Rita Vrataski (Mikami) wakes up as her alarm goes off at 7:03 AM. It’s another day in a strange new world of “Doral” and in the year 20XX. What is Doral you ask? How was it named? Where did it come from? What does it look like? Well, basically, we are talking about a gigantic mountain sized alien crystalline “flower” type entity formed, spreading strange sensor like tendrils across the world before settling down into dormancy. I have no idea who named it or where it came from.

So, here we have Rita, member of the United Defense Force which is up close and personal with Doral, who has been sitting at its landing site for a full year. Most of the UDF members suit up in “jackets,” or mechanical body suits, which allow them additional strength, movement, and have the right tools to dig through Doral’s surface.

While today feels like any other day for Rita, this one turns out to be something special, as Doral appears to awaken. Offshoots spout off the large entity, sending strange new alien beings out to attack the surroundings. UDF members on-site do not have a good day, including poor Rita. As she tries to scramble away from the chaos, a strange event happens. Everyday girl Rita Vrataski wakes up as her alarm goes off at 7:03 AM. Wait a minute?

All You Need Is Kill is based on the same source material manga/comic that the Emily Blunt/Tom Cruise Edge of Tomorrow utilized. The results are nice companion pieces, but do wind up being quite different presentations of similar ideas. They are both worth checking out, and are a lot of fun.

While this presentation differs in characterizations a bit from the live-action extravaganza, Rita remains an interesting protagonist. She is a somewhat timid, apathetic and average at the outset, and definitely not a seasoned worker or warrior of any kind. She is just getting by in her world, and soon is injected with full force into an important role that she does not comprehend.

There are a few other characters, but overall, the film remains focused on just a couple of main ones. The other main compatriot also has some interesting character traits and ideas, but a lot of the film is best discovered via watching it all play out.

Animation is interesting, and I quite liked it. The character designs are sketchy and exaggerated at times, which may throw off people looking for hyper realism. That being said I didn’t mind the character design at all and they stood out against the gorgeous back drops and explosions. Aliens look cool and function in compelling ways. Voice acting gives proper emotional resonance.

The script is engaging and utilizes the reset function in refreshing ways, similar to how the live action film did. The focal points do not get so repetitive that they get boring, and the film runs quickly as it’s fairly short overall. I could have even handled some more world development and action, but regardless a ton of work went into this feature and it shows.