'Redux Redux' Review: A Grounded Multiverse Thriller Fuelled by Grief and Revenge - Fantasia 2025
- Becca Johnson
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
By Becca Johnson - July 23, 2025
Kevin and Matthew McManus, the pair that brought us well loved indie horror The Block Island Sound back in 2020, have made their filmmaking return with Redux Redux.
What is 'Redux Redux' about?
Starring Michaela McManus (The Vampire Diaries) and Stella Marcus, Redux Redux shows that revenge is a vicious cycle, as a woman travels the multiverse to kill her daughters murderer over and over again. She grows addicted to the revenge streak, putting her own humanity in jeopardy.
Exceptionally well-acted and featuring a unique idea that we haven’t seen put forward in this manner before, Redux Redux secures the McManus brothers spot on the map as exciting, interesting filmmakers, and breathes grounded new life into the multiverse sub-genre.
Every once in a while, audiences will come across a film that does something that feels fresh and new, that they haven’t seen before. Though the multiverse idea has enough movies exploring it to now be considered a sub-genre of its own, we haven’t quite seen it tackled this way. Forget superheroes and strange worlds, as Redux Redux delivers a multiverse story that is grounded, relatable and simplistic in approach.
Grief, Revenge, and Multiverse Justice
For main character Irene Kelly, killing her daughters murderer once isn’t enough, and through use of her quirky little ‘spaceship’, she ensures his life is ended in every universe. Tying the once convoluted multiverse theme together with thorough exploration of grief and revenge winds up pretty genius, as Redux Redux is a highly effective, thought-provoking watch that is as easy to follow as it is gritty and immersive. Though it certainly has sci-fi notes with its universe-skipping plot, it’s first and foremost an easily digestible thriller centering on a parents revenge. This makes it palatable and gives it a sense of believability and relatability that other multiverse stories lack. Though on the surface it may seem like the multiverse, grief, revenge and the toll of murder is a lot to tackle at once, Redux Redux manages it effortlessly, developing its themes and characters beautifully. Feeling straightforward rather than overstuffed, it’s a winner from the start.
A plot such as this relies on its central performance to get across the messages, and luckily, Michaela McManus is a marvel. Carrying herself with equal amounts determination and sadness, Irene is a lived-in character that does what any parent wishes they could, and McManus handles that complexity beautifully. Starring alongside her throughout the majority of the duration is newcomer Stella Marcus as Mia, who is also fantastic. A lost young individual who winds up on Irene’s hard journey with her, the pair form a dysfunctional yet likable bond and seem to work well together despite their characters differences. Due to both the engaging dialogue and the talent of our two actresses, even the slower sequences with our pair conversing between one another are as engaging as the faster paced scenes.
The run-time is incredibly well-paced, giving us perfect amounts of sci-fi, thought-provoking conversation, gun fights, action, theme exploration and even a bit of horror towards the latter half. It’s a well-rounded viewing experience that understands the balance of fast and slow paced sequences, boosted even further by great acting. Even are supporting performances manage to shine, especially Jim Cummings (The Wolf of Snow Hollow) despite his minimal runtime.
A Bold, Unpredictable Sci-Fi Thriller That Delivers
It might take a while to piece together the plot of Redux Redux, as the first act focuses on thrusting us head-on into Irene’s chaotic world. Furthermore, it occasionally teeters on the edge of time-loop familiarity, threatening to become similar to something we’ve seen before. However, with surprises at every turn and a truly unique plot that is impossible to guess what’s coming next, Redux Redux not only stands out from the crowd but gives the multiverse trope fresh new potential. The performances are wonderful, especially from McManus, and the theme of grief is explored beautifully. Balancing the relatable with the fantastical, Redux Redux provides a special take on every theme, genre and character it introduces. It’s not to be missed.
'Redux Redux' played at Fantasia Film Festival 2025 on July 22
Want more film reviews from Fantasia 2025? Check out more content on our website Film Focus Online!
