See You Yesterday (4/5) – Netflix Movie Review

See You Yesterday is a new Netflix movie with a time travel plot. Sure, the actual time travel plot might not be very new but both the cast and crew are. And it actually works really well. Read why you should give it a chance in our review – or just go watch it on Netflix and decide for yourself!

See You Yesterday is out on Netflix now and it’s a little gem for fans of time travel plots. The fact that the cast of this movie is primarily black (and Latinx) is enough for it to deliver a fresh new take on the time travel genre. 

We’re so used to seeing white boys having all these time travel or sci-fi experiences. Sure, maybe there will be one girl within the group or kid of color, but usually just the one. Even Stranger Things suffer from this and I do adore that show! In any case, it’s quite refreshing to see something else.

Of course, offering up some diversity is far from enough to make the movie good. Fortunately, See You Yesterday does also offer a good plot and interesting characters. What more do you need?

Also, within the first 10 minutes of the movie, you will get the most perfect cameo/small supporting role for a time travel movie. Trust me!

Read more about the new Netflix movie See You Yesterday in our review below!

The up-and-coming stars of See You Yesterday

The stars of this new Netflix movie are Eden Duncan-Smith and Dante Crichlow. While Dante Crichlow will probably be a completely new face to many, you might recognize Eden Duncan-Smith.

If you watch Master of None, then she could be familiar since she played the young version of Denise (Lena Waithe’s character). This was in the Thanksgiving episode that also earned Lena Waithe an Emmy for “Outstanding Writing”, so it’s gotten quite a lot of attention.

Also, Eden Duncan-Smith was in the 2014 version of Annie that featured Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role.

Whether you know these two young actors or not, you should enjoy what they do with their characters in See You Yesterday. They’ve got a good handle on their tasks for this movie and deliver exactly what’s needed. Whether the story itself is to your liking is another thing.

Personally, I loved it for so many reasons. Both the time travel elements and the hardcore realistic ones.

A new take on time travel on Netflix

The story in See You Yesterday is actually quite simple. But that’s not a bad thing. I mean, if you think about it, this is usually the case with movies involving time travel.

X wants to save Y and so they time travel. And… things tend to not go as they planned. 

Still, with See You Yesterday, you’ll get a lot more. The characters keep it very real along with all the minor plot developments. Yes, we will get into #BlackLivesMatter and it makes perfect sense. After all, this is the world we live in.

The reason every one of these elements to the sci-fi lot works is because it’s so well made. The dialogue feels realistic and includes a lot of expletives. Again, because this is the way people talk. And the teenagers also try to refrain from using these words when they’re around their adult relatives. Once again, because this is real.

The ending of See You Yesterday

See You Yesterday has a lot more grit and heart than I ever expected from a time travel movie on Netflix. And it’s exactly why I loved it.

The ending of See You Yesterday might confuse some viewers – or leave them wanting more. However, I actually enjoyed the more open ending. This is not to spoil anything for you but rather to prepare you a little bit.

I love it when the ending of a movie leaves room for me to ponder it a bit further. That’s what See You Yesterday manages to do. I have no doubt that many will dislike this ending to the Netflix movie but it hardly ruins anything.

Watch See You Yesterday on Netflix now!

This new sci-fi, adventure, action movie on Netflix is based on a 2017 short film with the same title. Both the feature film and the short film was directed by Stefon Bristol who co-wrote the script with Fredrica Bailey. This is the first feature film for both of them.

While Stefon Bristol has quite a few short films on his resume (both as writer and director), Fredrica Bailey only has this one. Well, actually she has two since she has both the short film and feature film versions of See You Yesterday listed as her credits.

What really works for this new Netflix movie is the sweet spot runtime of just under 90 minutes. This is exactly where it needs to be to work. The story is simple and the characters drive the plot so you need to keep it to the point. But without is becoming boring, of course.

If you like time-travel movies and want to see some fresh faces, then give this new Netflix movie a chance. 

See You Yesterday is out on Netflix worldwide from May 17, 2019.

Details

Director: Stefon Bristol
Writers: Fredrica Bailey, Stefon Bristol 
Stars: Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow, Astro

Plot

High school best friends and science prodigies C.J. and Sebastian spend every spare minute working on their latest homemade invention: backpacks that enable time travel. But when C.J.’s older brother Calvin dies after an encounter with police officers, the young duo decide to put their unfinished tech to use in a desperate bid to save Calvin.