Based on the Japanese novel All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Edge of Tomorrow tells the story of Major William Cage (played by Tom Cruise), a man who is forced onto the front lines for a major military operation against invading aliens known as "Mimics." Untrained and unprepared for combat, Cage is killed within minutes - only to wake up 24 hours earlier with no choice but to relive (and die) the same day over and over.

Like many time travel (or time loop) stories, Edge of Tomorrow relies on heady exposition and mind-bending sci-fi ideas which may confuse certain moviegoers. Although it does a decent job of explaining its loopy exploration of time, its genius take on the Groundhog Day time travel trope can be a little hard to follow. Therefore, a breakdown of its time travel mechanics, narrative structure, and character beats can be helpful in understanding...