Fantasia 2025: Redux Redux Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

What would you do if you could avenge the death of your loved one every single day? This question is the premise of Kevin and Matthew McManus’ Redux Redux. Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus, sister of Kevin and Matthew) is a mother who lost her daughter following a brutal kidnapping and ruthless murder committed by a man named Neville (Jeremy Holm). For Neville, the serial killer’s modus operandi is to abduct teenage girls he encounters on the street, keep them in a dungeon in his house, murder them, and cut a crop of their hair as a souvenir. Desperate to avenge the death of her daughter, Irene repeatedly pursued Neville though a series of parallel universes to murder him over and over. However, in one of those universes, she finds Mia (Stella Marcus) a young orphan girl who she saves from a murderer but now, refuses to leave Irene’s side.

Presenting as yet another indie science fiction film that plays with the familiar time travel trope, its premise allows the filmmakers to experiment with the genre, as the McManus brothers develop a story centered around loss, specifically that of a child. A feeling that  could lead anyone to kill, Irene made it her personal mission to make all the versions of Neville an outlet for her rage; she knows his addresses, where he works, and essential information about his life. In each of their respective battles across subsequent universes, she goes toe-to-toe with the monster that cut her baby’s existence short – the man who killed her for the sole act of killing.

With Irene, the McManus brothers have crafted such a badass lead; an intelligent, detailed woman who tracks her target to prevent him from killing her daughter across multiple universes. Unfortunately, she did not quite complete her goal as Mia found herself becoming a surrogate daughter of sorts. That being said, the film also sees a tonal shift at this moment, as it becomes a tale of her insolence and her need to avenge her killer. From there, the directors decide to utilize heavy synth scores to imprint their personality onto their film, creating a sci-fi action film about morality and revenge. However, after a solid opening, it leans heavily on tropes and clichés, which only lessens its impact. The necessity to provide Irene a daughter seems to be a more pressing issue than completing her arc or develop the film’s universe further.

In the end, Redux Redux delivers a fresh take on the revenge film through such a badass lead. Nevertheless, it primarily works off the strength of a daring performance from Michaela McManus even though her arc is not as fascinating as its sci-fi elements. A more restrained addition to the subgenre, the film is ultimately at its best as a revenge tale.

still courtesy of Saban Films

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Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.