Karma is a comeback killer in the early premiere of the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” legacy sequel, showcased in Tempe on July 15, 2025.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” follows five friends who unintentionally cause a deadly car accident. Instead of calling the cops, they cover their tracks and vow to keep it a secret.

After one year, they’re forced to face the music when they discover someone knows what they did last summer.

The opening scene introduces a young woman, Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders), getting dressed for her best friends’ engagement party. We learn that Ava’s mother passed away, leaving her to struggle with finding her purpose.

Wonders’ portrayal of the character left fans wanting more of her on screen. However, not even authentic acting could save the complications of this film.

The film’s plot on paper sounds like an intriguing story, but the execution was poorly done.

There were minimal lines that were quotable and stuck with me after watching. The highlights of the film were the kills, which weren’t as entertaining as expected. Only one kill was memorable, despite being showcased in the trailer.

Danica’s (Madelyn Cline) fiancé, Wyatt (Joshua Orpin), is in his house downstairs drinking liquor when a harpoon strikes him through the chest.

Wyatt bleeds out on the floor and is slashed by a masked fisherman killer. Danica returns downstairs to find his lifeless body hanging with the words, “you can’t erase the past,” written in blood on a sign.

Most of the kills throughout the film's duration were done off screen, leaving most scenes to the audience’s imagination.

However, in an R-rated slasher horror movie, most fans expect kills to be brutal. Yet, the most that was received was cut-off scene slashes and laughable chase sequences.

Despite these flaws, the film attempts to capture nostalgia by bringing back characters from the 1997 original — Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.)

In this day and age, nostalgia bait has been overused constantly. Bringing back memorable characters to appeal to older audiences while trying to break into the Gen-Z community is easier said than done.

Nonetheless, the slasher-horror comedy tried to achieve this but failed. Even in the climax of the film, Julie James claimed, “Nostalgia is overrated,” underlining the irony in this situation.

However, the questionable tropes are far from over. We discover that the killer is one of the girls in the friend group, Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon).

Stevie’s reasoning is that the victim of the car accident was her secret lover. A “twisted vengeance for love” plot twist was unexpected and could have worked if there was only one.

We learn once again that the killer had a partner — Ray Bronson. His reasoning being that the townspeople have forgotten about the 1997 incident.

A twist within a twist can leave a lasting impression. In this case, the absurdity of it all left me with more questions than answers.

The film’s conclusion left some fans feeling shocked, but not in the ways expected. The theater consisted of people murmuring and verbally expressing their confusion.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” attempts to display how revenge will always come at a price. Since history tends to repeat itself, isn't it a surprise that nostalgia bait, Gen Z jargon, and unnecessary plot twists left fans complexed on why it was even made in the first place.