A young woman is forced to live the last day of her life on repeat in the animated sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill, which is adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 light novel, best known as the inspiration for the Tom Cruise action film Edge of Tomorrow (2014).

Marking the feature directing debut of Kenichiro Akimoto, All You Need Is Kill unfolds in the wake of an alien invasion. It follows a plucky heroine who must hone her combat skills and study the otherworldly aggressors after a fatal encounter traps her in an endless time loop.

In a noted departure from the source material, protagonist Rita Vrataski (voiced by Ai Mikami) is not a seasoned combat warrior, but an inexperienced young recruit taking part in research and reconnaissance missions for the United Defence Force (UDF).

Read my full South China Morning Post review here