REDUX REDUX
Starring: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jim Cummings, and Jeremy Holm
Directors: Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus
This film has been reviewed by Nick, Bode, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival.
NICK
Although not at all the exhilarating thriller it's promoted as, I enjoyed Redux Redux for what it actually was. Michaela McManus (Irene) channels Rebecca Ferguson as she leads this multiverse-trotting tale of revenge that, despite a lack of high-octane action, is still entertaining. Directors Kevin and Matthew McManus do a great job of showing how someone can lose themselves when blinded by vengeance and what it takes to get them out of that cycle. Could it have been more thrilling? Yes, but the pairing of McManus and Stella Marcus (Mia) give their characters enough life to keep the story engaging.
QUENTIN
Given Redux Redux’s status as one of my most anticipated Fantasia offerings, I’m saddened to call it a disappointment. Admittedly, this could be an expectations management issue, but the promised storyline of violent vengeance and “deliverance by any kind of weapon…every kind of weapon” doesn’t deliver. Instead, it’s more about working through trauma and the developing bond between a tortured adult and a defiant teenager. Think You Were Never Really Here mixed with Logan, but only in plotting and themes, not actual quality. That said, the performances are great, so it might have been better had my mind not been clouded by the marketing.
BODE
When I came across the premise for Redux Redux, I was quite intrigued. A time loop story can comment on so much, and using it to comment on the cycle of revenge could be pretty thrilling. And it is…for the first half, at least. The film struggles to maintain that uniqueness or energy afterwards, relying on surface-level observations of its subject matter, and dragging more than I would’ve liked. But solid performances (especially from lead star Michaela McManus), a cool soundtrack, moody filmic cinematography, and some genuinely memorable blood squibs keep directors Kevin and Matthew McManus’ lo-fi sci-fi watchable.