Thanks largely to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the concept of the multiverse has been cheapened into a plot device to bring back fan-favorite characters and disregard established continuity. It’s become a way to render the stakes of a story meaningless, rather than to expand the narrative possibilities. I doubt that superhero movies will find a way to redeem their depiction of the multiverse, but there’s a small-scale indie film now streaming on Hulu that makes the worn-out sci-fi idea feel fresh and exciting again.
The McManus brothers’ “Redux Redux” is my favorite movie of 2026 so far, and I think it could end up on a lot of other film lovers’ top 10 lists if they know where to find it. After a tiny theatrical release this past February, it’s now more widely accessible, and it puts blockbuster movies with 10 times its budget to shame.
Writer-directors Kevin and Matthew McManus combine a gritty revenge thriller with an epic journey across the multiverse, while keeping the story grounded in the recognizable motivations of their protagonist, played by their sister Michaela. “Redux Redux” is as suspenseful and gripping as it is emotionally affecting.
‘Redux Redux’ drops the audience right in the middle of the multiverse
In the stark opening scene of “Redux Redux,” main character Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) stands over the burning body of a man tied to a chair, looking on coldly as he’s consumed by fire. It’s a striking beginning to the story of Irene’s quest for revenge, and the movie takes a while before explaining what she’s actually after and how she’s able to achieve it. The man in the chair is Neville (Jeremy Holm), a psychopath who kidnapped and murdered Irene’s teenage daughter Anna (Grace Van Dien).
Except that the Neville who’s being immolated isn’t the same Neville that killed Anna, nor is he the Neville that Irene is struggling with in the next scene, as she’s almost choked to death before getting the upper hand and shooting him with a revolver. Nor is he the Neville who’s working as an oblivious diner cook a couple of scenes later, when Irene suddenly opens fire on him at his workplace.
Thanks to a janky-looking coffin-like device, Irene has been traveling across the multiverse, killing every version of Neville she can find. Eventually, she lays out the details of her mission while talking to Jonathan (Jim Cummings), a fellow member of a grief support group whom she meets and hooks up with in many of her multiversal destinations.
One of the McManuses’ clever twists on the multiverse is that each new dimension looks essentially the same, and each Neville and Jonathan and even each offscreen Irene is essentially the same person. That’s helpful from a budget perspective because it doesn’t require the filmmakers to create a range of drastically different worlds. But it also makes sense from a thematic perspective, demonstrating the immutability of human nature.
‘Redux Redux’ delivers pulse-pounding street-level action
When Irene opens fire on Neville at his workplace, she attracts the attention of the police, leading to an expertly crafted car and foot chase through the streets of Los Angeles, which also offers clues about how Irene carries out her plans. When she barely makes it to her hotel room and barricades herself inside with cops about to break down the door, she rushes into the machine along with her belongings, whooshing herself into a quiet, peaceful version of the same hotel room.
Each time that Irene breaks into Neville’s house to confront and/or kill him, it’s just as suspenseful as the previous time, because she never knows exactly what she’ll find. The story shifts when she discovers teenage runaway Mia (Stella Marcus) tied up and begging for help, and Mia insists on tagging along on to kill the version of Neville who nearly killed her.
The dynamic between Irene and Mia resembles the dynamic between John Connor and both his mother Sarah and the Terminator in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” especially during the sequence when Irene and Mia have to meet with fellow multiversal travelers to obtain a new part for Irene’s malfunctioning machine. The McManuses provide just enough detail to hint at the larger world-building without distracting from the human core of their story.
‘Redux Redux’ is a heartfelt story of trauma bonding
When Irene and Mia are caught in a shootout at a remote roadside gas station, their growing bond informs the way they protect each other, with Irene finally accepting that she needs her younger counterpart as a companion on her journey. Stella Marcus and Michaela McManus both give excellent performances, balancing their characters’ toughness with vulnerability as they each recognize aspects of themselves in the other person.
Without that character-driven focus, “Redux Redux” could have been just an empty effort to capitalize on a popular trope from action blockbusters. But the movie builds genuine rapport between Irene and Mia, so that by the time it gets to its gruesome climax, the audience is invested in their relationship and their efforts to save each other.
I would have been impressed with “Redux Redux” simply as a smart sci-fi movie made with limited resources, but the powerful and often heartbreaking drama about grief and the hollowness of revenge is what elevates it into a truly great movie, in any universe.
Stream “Redux Redux” on Hulu now
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