The arrival on Earth of an alien lifeform named Darol, that takes the shape of a giant tree, prompts humanity to begin investigating the source and nature of this invader. A year after it’s arrival, a team of volunteers sent out to gather samples finds themselves attacked as the plant spores produce violent plant-like beings that devour the humans. One of the volunteers, Rita (Ai Mikami), is killed by a plant, but finds herself waking up that same morning before the massacre. Trapped in a time-loop, she attempts to discover what has happened to her and how to stop the catastrophic events from occuring. She later meets Keiji (Natsuki Hanae), a fellow volunteer who appears to be the only other human stuck in the time-loop with her and aware of what is coming for them.
“All You Need is Kill” is based on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Directed by Kenichiro Akimoto, with a screenplay by Yuichiro Kido, this retelling of the story centres Rita, where the original novel was told from Keiji’s perspective. The animation is colourful and the action kinetic, with an incredibly vibrant world that leans towards the fantastical. At times the tone feels slightly mismatched between the violence and terror of slaughtered humans and the garish art style and comedic overtones. Rita’s repeated deaths are often played for laughs which undermines the gravity of the situation. However, there is a lot to enjoy here for fans of action-packed science-fiction. It is fun to see her getting to grips with the mechanical body suit and learning how to tackle the alien plants; the concept of an alien that can warp space-time is also engaging and provides for a unique twist on the typical invasion plot; and the characters of Rita and Keiji prove an entertaining double-act, balancing her cynical cool with his awkward kindliness. Both are given some backstory, with Rita being abandoned by her mother and Keiji suffering bullying as a child, but the film unfortunately brushes over these elements that would perhaps have provided some thematic depth to the narrative. As it is, the film is an fun fast-paced action film that relies on spectacle and humour and largely avoids analysis of its character’s motivations or delivering a particular message.
Fans of science-fiction, action films, strong female protagonists, and dazzling animation will enjoy “All You Need is Kill” with its bright, light-hearted feel, as it subverts some genre tropes while leaning heavily into others. The moments where the film gets very dark very quickly, largely flashbacks of Rita’s childhood, stand in stark contrast to the rest of the film which keeps up a jaunty tone throughout. That is not to say that there is not tension and drama, with the aliens being a truly terrifying foe, but the film often makes light of this when it comes to the main character given that each death results only in a reset for her. Overall, the film is hugely entertaining with non-stop action and forward momentum, but it would have been nice to see more exploration of the ideas and characters.
