Summary
Jagged Mind is recycled streaming content that will give you a case of horrific déjà vu.
Here is our review of the 2023 Hulu film Jagged Mind, which does not contain spoilers.
The horror thriller Jagged Mind is a perplexing film that essentially remixes elements from early 90s horror thrillers into a blend of science fiction and fantasy.
It relies heavily on the cheesy misdirection technique, akin to a cinematic magic trick. The movie combines Sleeping with the Enemy and Palm Springs, honestly asking the audience to care when viewers know better (or should).
Jagged Mind Review and Plot summary
The story of Jagged Mind follows Billy (The Kissing Booth’s Maisie Richardson-Sellers), an emerging artist who has trouble being alone. Billy sees Christine (Rosaline Elbay), who doesn’t treat her with mutual respect. Her best friend, Kim (Kate Szekely), thinks she can do better and does, meeting Alex (Westworld’s Shannon Woodward) in a dimly lit bar in Little Haiti.
However, Billy suffers from chronic “blackouts” and unexplained hallucinations of her death, reliving the same day by continuously bringing her back to that night Alex bought her a drink.
Billy becomes convinced that she is trapped in a time loop. She then meets Rose (Big George Foreman’s Shein Mompremier), a photographer who knows precisely what Billy is going through.
Directed by Kelley Kali (I’m Not Your Hero) and written by Allyson Morgan (Bite Size Halloween), Jagged Mind is a movie that follows the style of Groundhog Day-inspired horror films such as Happy Death Day.
Morgan’s screenplay adopts a structure reminiscent of a “videogame,” where Billy’s progression in the story is saved as her relationship with Alex deepens.
However, the storyline becomes convoluted and messy, making it difficult to understand why Billy’s character keeps “resetting” the timeline. While not everything needs to be perfectly logical, there are instances in the third act where scenes occur without a plausible explanation.
READ: Best Hulu Movies of All Time
For example, Billy suddenly possesses knowledge of a Haitian prayer, despite not knowing the language established only a few scenes earlier.
Furthermore, they often rely heavily on exposition when the script delves into detailed explanations. This doesn’t help matters since the characters are paper thin and poorly written, overlapping repetitive dialogue.
The performances by Richardson-Sellers and Woodward are uneven, with the latter faring the best when displaying the character’s toxic gaslighting behavior.
Is the 2023 film Jagged Mind good or bad?
Jagged Mind is a below-average thriller with weak performances and cringe-worthy dialogue, with the climactic third-act scene being hard to watch.
The story is a rip-off of better films, which is not necessarily a deal breaker, but offensive when performed in a lazy, manipulative, and uninspired matter.
Is the 2023 film Jagged Mind worth watching?
Movies like Jagged Mind are only worth watching if you are unfamiliar with the various science fiction/fantasy timeline films that came before it. Kali and Morgan’s film is recycled streaming content that will give you a case of horrific déjà vu.
If only the more resounding theme of Haitian culture and mental health, which is the metaphor for the film, was used more substantially than window dressing, Jagged Mind could have set itself apart from the rest.
What did you think of the 2023 Hulu film Jagged Mind? Comment below.
