Review of In the Shadow of the Moon

Time travel and serial killers have been extremely popular territory to explore in film for a long time, so it follows that a thriller about a time-travelling serial-killer should hit the jackpot if done right. The Netflix original gets part way there. Written and directed by Jim Mickle - a filmmaker who has almost exclusively made grungy content not designed for comfortable viewing (Cold in July, We Are What We Eat) - there's a rough-around-the-edges tone and aesthetic that places this in the grimy corner of the sci-fi genre. Structured in five parts, starting in 1988 and jumping nine years forward for each segment, the plot is relatively simple for a time-travel yarn; the weaved-in themes of regret, fate, pride and grief more the crux of what Mickle is trying to get across. Unfortunately, there are a few flaws which make this movie hard to really like: the unnecessary injection of plodding action sequences, the rather predictable and overly neat ending, the CGI eyesores, and Bookem Woodbine's terrible supporting turn. But with a solid lead performance by Boyd Holbrook, a thematically meaty plot and some judiciously placed moments of horrific violence, In the Shadow of the Moon grips enough to make it recommendable for a lazy Sunday night at home.