Though far from perfect, “Redux Redux” (2025) handles the multiverse better than the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is a solid spiritual successor to the “Terminator” franchise. Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) travels through parallel universes to kill the man, Neville (Jeremy Holm), who murdered her daughter, Anna (Grace Van Dien), and see if she can find one where her daughter is alive. Scarlet Witch says good luck with that. What will make Irene stop?

There are not many actors who seem like natural successors to Linda Hamilton or Lena Headley. Emilia Clarke could not do it, and she played Khalessi, Mother of Dragons. McManus could. She looks completely normal, not like a serial killer in the vein of Dexter, but she is great as the vengeful mother. The best part is that her fighting style is realistic and practical. Unfortunately, Irene has so honed her killer instinct that she shoots first then looks around for witnesses afterwards.

“Redux Redux” is not a long movie. If it was shorter, it would have been perfect, but it is better to have codirectors and cowriters like Kevin and Matthew McManus, the McManus brothers, and yes, they are Michaela’s brothers, than some people who have no concept of stories or acts. They take their time to establish Irene’s routine, show it disrupted, temporarily switch focus to establish a supporting character’s routine, introduce the supporting character to Irene’s world, then see how they blend, separate and reunite. It is a well fleshed out world. Without getting weighed down in jargon or ruining momentum, the McManus brothers toss in enough dialogue to show that they built this (multi)verse, and they are not one of those slap dash creatives who hopes to fuel the story with atmosphere. It is a gritty, dirty world no matter where Irene goes, and Irene can handle herself. She is a terrific character, and the sci-fi action is top notch.

Normally, I get furious when a woman protagonist who could be viewed as disreputable gets saddled with a kid to care for as a gimmick to get the audience to sympathize with her, but I’ll sign a waiver for “Redux Redux.” Irene saves Mia (Stella Marcus), a fifteen-year-old runaway who is not grateful and decides that emulating Irene will cure what ails her. She is good at surviving, but not good at doing the best thing for herself. There is a bit of a backstory, and she may be an unreliable narrator of her own story considering the context clues that signal her perception and reality may have a gap, but she is a kid who had a hard life so her margin of error is large, and she is still an underdog character that is easy to root for. Marcus has acted before, but this movie is her first scripted feature, and you would not know that she is a newbie. She nailed the role.

The McManus Brothers did a great job with creating three-dimensional supporting characters, and Silawn Lewis cast real people who knew how to breathe life and add texture to people on the page. Every supporting character felt as if they had the potential to carry “Redux Redux” or potentially had a pivotal, substantive role even if they did not. Deb (Debra Christofferson) gets a monologue that brings the house down, and it was hard to accept that she was only in one scene. I want to see a prequel or sidequel with Travis (Michael Manuel) and Billie (Taylor Misiak). No offense to Jim Cummings, who plays Jonathan, but that storyline almost made me check out, and it was the only aspect of the story that felt extraneous though plausible. It will be interesting to see whether that part of the story works for the audience.

Besides solid writing, “Redux Redux” looks good too. It is a very American film, maybe even belonging to the neo-Western genre. In one scene, editors Nate Cormier and Derek Desmond time cuts with the sound of Irene playing with the barrel of her gun while waiting for her prey. It intercuts her lurking in the shadows with scenes of prior times that she killed him. Cinematographer Alan Gwizdowski establishes the tone of the movie from the opening scene: a solid dark blue sky, black silhouette of hills and flames illuminating Irene’s emotionless face as she watches the killer die screaming in agony. See it on the big screen for maximum impact. It is a “good for her” movie from the get-go, but is it good for her?

“Redux Redux” says killing is bad even if the victims are child serial killers. The timing is not the best for that message, but let’s hear them out. It is becoming an addiction, and it is not making Irene’s life any better. Mia ends up being the catalyst to realize the latter because Mia is not comfortable with violence, but she is determined to be. Her outrage comes from a different place, less revenge than self-defense, but violence is Neville’s game, and even when they are on top, they give him another sick thrill. “The Snowtown Murders” (2011) wore it better, but you get the gist.

“Redux Redux” is a solid entertaining movie that has heart, merciless violence, great acting, memorable, unique moments, and shots that capture the beauty of even the roughest landscape. It is a triumph and worth checking out on the big screen, especially if you enjoy tales of vengeance and unhinged characters.

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What about the ethics of multiverse travel? I have not finished “Loki,” but no one seems concerned about it. It is the only area that “Redux Redux” fumbles, especially in the last act. Should each character stay in their own universe, especially if they are a minor? People are looking for Mia. She deserves at least the option of returning home to the people and places of her time, not the closest thing. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022) firmly established that a proxy is not good enough for them or the traveler. Surrogates are not a substitution.

“Redux Redux” proposes the surrogate daughter solution. Mia has no one who cares about her though those missing posters suggest otherwise. Irene does not have a daughter. Win win? Not according to “A Poet” (2025). To cure their loneliness and drifting, sure, but it is not a genuine way to address Irene’s grief. Finding her daughter’s body, stopping the killer or seeing a parallel universe version of her daughter does not address the grief that she has over her daughter, not really. Her daughter is still dead. Her daughter’s body is still stuck in a barrel. Similarly, Mia’s abandonment and specific circumstances cannot be resolved with a functional relationship with Irene though that relationship will help Mia understand what a relatively healthy relationship should look like. So the McManus family played a shell game when it comes to trauma, but it is such a good movie, and it did not promise to cure cancer. It does not have to get every detail right.