Upamanyu Biswas
In the science fiction action film, ‘Edge of Tomorrow,‘ a public affairs officer, Major William Cage, is whisked to the frontlines of a war between humans and aliens. Soon after his arrival, he gains the power to revive himself every time he dies in battle, engulfing him in a relentless time loop reflected in the film’s tagline: “Live. Die. Repeat.” With the help of battle-hardened soldier Sergeant Rita Vrataski, Cage learns the complexities of his time-resetting ability and how he can end the war. However, complications arise when he starts developing feelings for her. At the movie’s end, a beleaguered Cage, who is himself worn out after countless reincarnations on the battlefield, gets his chance to reunite with Rita, but the movie’s conclusion leaves the fate of their relationship hanging in the air! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cage’s Smile to Rita Signifies How Much the Character Has Endured to Get This Far
After the final battle at the Louvre in Paris and the eventual destruction of the Omega, Cage manages to circumvent his death by regaining his resetting ability. Subsequently, he wakes up on the helicopter from the movie’s beginning, which is flying to London. On the news, reports start gathering of the demise of the mimic invasion forces, implying that humanity has prevailed over their enemy. As a result, Cage can escape his military conscription under the hands of General Brigham, albeit still shaken by the events that had preceded the victory over the mimics. Cage flies to the Heathrow forward base, where he unites with Rita just like the many times he had met her for training. However, this time, with the war over, Cage can only smile at her, almost as if he is coming out of a trance himself.
Having suffered countless deaths during the fight on the Normandy beach, William Cage is on the brink of losing his sanity because of the repeated nature of things and his inability to change them. His reincarnations, which range in over three hundred deaths and revivals, have started to chip away at his soul and the crushing nature of each blow. To make matters worse, his feelings for Rita make it even more unbearable to have to watch her die again and again. Therefore, in the end, his smile is a genuine reaction of disbelief at being freed from the loop and finally saving the woman he loves. Unfortunately, she remembers nothing from their past interactions, which makes it a challenge to explain what has happened thus far.
Everyone Loses Their Memory Whenever Cage Dies
Throughout the narrative, Cage resets the timeline multiple times. With every attempt, the protagonist continues to pick up information from his past lives without anyone else progressing beyond the day’s events, including Rita. After their initial meetings, the Angel of Verdun begins training Cage to fight the mimics on an instinctual level. However, she has no recollection of the several times he has already come to her for help. The only evidence she sees of this is through his growing repertoire of tactical knowledge and combat skills in the mech suit with every iteration. Unbeknownst to her, Cage has mastered it through hundreds of tries and painful deaths, some of which come at her hand. Therefore, when Cage visits her at the end, Rita barely recognizes him, as that is precisely how Cage’s power works.
The tragedy of the time-resetting ability is the lonely suffering it inflicts on the protagonist. Although it is a way to cheat death, the character can barely explain his situation to anyone else. As Rita is the only one to have gone through a similar experience, she can understand the toll it takes on someone mentally. She is also quick to believe Cage’s words about knowing the future, as they line up with the powers she gained from an Alpha mimic previously. However, now that she is out of the loop, her knowledge of the next day’s events is just as murky as anybody else’s. Only Cage has the foresight and the power to reset the day. Tragically, this leaves him with a lot of explaining to do at the end of the film to Rita, albeit he might be more happy just to find her alive than anything else.
Cage and Rita’s Future Prospects Seem Hopeful
While the movie concludes abruptly with Cage smiling at Rita, no concrete answers are presented for the two characters’ relationship in the future. It is abundantly clear by the end that Cage is deeply smitten with Rita and has suffered tremendously watching her die in front of his eyes infinite times. On the other hand, Rita has shown signs of reciprocating Cage’s feelings despite the fact that she has no memory of their past interactions. They even share a kiss during the final showdown in Paris, implying that the feelings are mutual. Therefore, the romantic tension that exists between them could mean a more intimate relationship is on the horizon for them – especially given the sort of tired but hopeful smile Cage directs at her at the end of the film.
For co-scriptwriter Christopher McQuarrie, the ending is undoubtedly a happy one, as that was the objective. In an interview with Film School Rejects the writer said, “I know the ending was somewhat controversial, with some people who didn’t like it. I think the only way to make those people happy would to end the movie in a way that wasn’t happy. We weren’t interested in doing that. It needed to end in a way that wasn’t harsh.” Accordingly, the chances of Rita and Cage’s well-deserved ending through a blossoming relationship are more than probable, given the filmmakers’ intentions. Also, all evidence within the narrative points that way, which is sure to please fans. The two kindred spirits may be the only ones who realize the truth about what led to the mimic race’s downfall and the architects behind it.
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