Totally Killer (2023)

Totally Killer felt like such a peak 2016 era film and I don't know how else to describe that feeling. When watching it I continuously was surprised that is came out so recently and I think the reason for that is because the acting was overdramatic. I have mentioned before how when writing gen z characters a lot of the writing comes across as a parody and for that reason reason it ruins the atmosphere trying to be created. The last thing I needed in a murder mystery film was to have some snappy teen point out everything wrong with the 80's. And trust me I am well aware of how problematic that time is compared to now but she was point out everything to the extreme that she just became extremely annoying. I hate to say it but by the end Jamie was really starting to piss me off that I wanted any other character but her. In fact I was really hoping to see more of the Creston girls.

I do think that before continuing I need to address the elephant in the room which was the time travelling. I hated it. There's no easier way of putting it. I was such a fan of the way the film opened like a true crime episode of a show that I was making notes like crazy on the murders that happened to see if I could guess the murderer before the reveal. I am also narratively going to be immediately more interested in a film that has something unique and quirky about the murders and that was that all the victims were 16 years old and each stabbed 16 times. I was immediately more interested and hooked about these murders that it fully emersed me into this story. And then I met Jamie. It makes sense that she was going to be the edgy teen who doesn't like her parents protecting her but it makes sense they're protecting her, not only because their friends were murdered but because she too is now 16 and therefore the same age as they were when it happened. Usually at this point in films they have the teen soften at least a touch to comfort the mum along the lines of "I'm sorry you went through that and I understand why you're scared but I am different and you have to let me live". Instead Jamie told her parents to "get over it"! This fucking girl has zero remorse and it's pissing me off already. Anyway, after Jamie leaves her mum ends up getting attacked by the same killer and she later learns a number of things surrounding her parents. Number one, her dad was a keen suspect of the first sweet 16 murders. Number two, her mum was suspected of an affair with the man who ran a podcast dedicated to the old murders. And number three, after the murder of her friends Pam received a note in her locker saying one day she would be next.

Again I can not stress to you the level of interest I had towards the film at this point. I may not have liked Jamie but I was all for having the rest of this film revolving around the old murders vs new murders and trying to catch the killer before they strike again. And then you'll never believed what happens! She fucking time travels! DON'T PISS ME OFF! I really did not like it I'm sorry but also I'm not. I understand why they wanted to go back in time to show how different each of the characters were and the dynamics they shared but I think it would have been so much better staying in the present world and having flashbacks when talking to new people. It also then allows for different character opinions to cloud judgement and not always paint people accurately, such as the nerds always chatting shit about the populars while the populars always say they're communally a great and caring bunch which only adds to the confusion of what really happened and why. But instead going back in time just confuses things more not to mention the laws of time that get messed up. I will admit I think it was smart for them to mould around this new person rather than erasing her existence but that doesn't mean I enjoyed the outcome. After returning from the future the mum and dad completely forget about seeing their same daughter in the past, in fact the only one who remembers is Lauren which seems stupid because if she remembers they should all remember. And then the book Lauren gives her for what has changed makes no sense because she mentions keeping an eye on one of the killers which is something she would never have known because the only one to see him remove his mask is Jamie when they're alone in the machine back.

Just to add to this Lauren talk, I am so disappointed we never saw more of her. In fact I wanted more of Amelia too. In murder mystery's like this there is always the smart friend who hacks into places and can steal files while the other is charismatic and distracts. That is the most iconic duo you can have in these films and it was a disgrace not to have each of the Creston girl become that side kick. As I said I would have preferred it to be Amelia as they stay in current times with their mom as a possible cool parent who helps talk to the adults but if you're gonna have them go back in time at least make Lauren the badass sidekick character. And don't think it was lost on me the two black woman with what should have been the best character role were the ones with the least amount of screen time. They had so much potential I am so annoyed they didn't show more of them. However if I am to say one positive thing about the time travel it is how they played the dynamics between characters. Of course the annoying jock is the future school coach that makes so much sense and the same goes for the police woman being his obnoxious weed smoking sidekick. But my favourite dynamic is between young Pam and Blake. Usually in movies where they go back in time or learn about how their parents were in the past the relationship is either childhood sweetheart or opposite ends of the food chain.

The way the parents were talking at the start about not being a match in high school I thought that was because one was popular and one was a nerd however it turns out both of them were quite popular and in the same friend circle. It just turns out Blake was dating another member of the group and it wasn't until college that a relationship developed. I loved that. I felt like it was just more realistic and happened naturally once they matured but we're still in contact. Similarly, as much as I hate to admit it, having Jamie disrupt the past meaning they got together sooner is something I do think is nice. Before, they stressed how as teens they were both horny and toxic so a real relationship never would have worked which is why Jamie was so worried that putting them together too soon might mean they break up and she is never born. Instead her messing with the past and giving a different outcome meant that her parents were able to get together sooner and it was a healthier relationship bonded by the murder of their friends which I liked. I also thought that if they were going to mess with time the least they could do is give her a brother, I wasn't as much a fan of the name swap where her brother was named Jamie and now she is named Collette. Again the time travel stuff makes things so much more confusing! The least they could do is make more things messy. This new reality even has her speaking to her grandmother more which just frames this as a happier ending as if to promote going back in time and messing with the fraction of time. Why are more people not dead!

In terms of the killer I thought the grand reveal was quite bitter sweet. When we were first introduced to the character 'Fat Trish' I knew the killer was going to be linked to her in some way and the first obvious link to them was through Damon's character. When we first saw Damon he was an old maintenance man we see briefly as he passes Jamie and from that short zoom in alone I was suspicious on who that man was and why we are seeing them. And then we see them still working as a maintenance man only this time when he's younger and again I was suspicious but truthfully the second time we see him I thought it was going to be linked somehow to the time machine. Regardless nothing happens until he is later linked to Trish and that's the moment I knew he was our red herring. Every film has one it just took longer than I thought it would to catch on that's who this guy was. But since I knew Trish would still link to this in some way I was then thinking maybe Trish wasn't actually dead and her brother was just sketchy because he was covering up her death. But instead it was revealed that the killer was Doug, the future principle... Okay. Yeah he didn't really make much noise I am sorry to say. Turns out he was in love with Trish and the reason she was drunk is because the popular girls got her drunk and then let her drive which resulted in her death. But the twist is that Pam was never at that sleepover it was just the other three girls so why would she get a note from the killer about her being next one day. Then the second killer showed up and I was gagged!

A second killer was brought up as a concept and then never mentioned again so I assumed it was a thrown away comment and then this killer showed up and I was loving it. Two killers?! Give it me now. And then it was revealed the second killer was actually from the future who transported back in time. Less love because again I hate the time travel element but I did like this reveal. The overall reveal is that Doug was the true sweet 16 killer who killed Marisa, Heather and Tiffany. The note that was given to Pam was actually a fake forged by Chris Dubasage (the podcaster) after she was murdered 35 years later to create more murders to talk about. I love him! I don't actually but his motive I was obsessed with. Someone so deep in the mystery of what happened and struck by the fame he got when talking about their murders that he turned to murder so that there was more of a story to keep making content about. It had everything I could ever want. I just wish it would have been a reveal that happened in present time. Like they find out the sweet 16 killer and think everything is solved and then another is killed while he is in jail showing it is someone else and they don't understand who or why and that's because they're thinking of the past murders as linked to the current when they're not. It would have been so delicious!

Overall, the biggest criticism I have for this film is the time travelling. Everything I didn't like or that came across as cliche stemmed from the time travelling element. But I also found a lot of the characters to be very 2 dimensional and didn't come across as likeable even when they were the protagonist which are supposed to be the most well liked character. But I did really enjoy the element of this killer actually being a new killer making himself seem like the old killer has raised again and the character problems and confusion that comes with that especially for the principle who knows he was the sweet 16 killer and that this new one isn't him but a fake and he can't say anything without getting himself arrested. In summary I think this film had a lot of missed potential had they just taken out the time travel and emphasised it as a more modern and humorous Riverdale.