Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Satisfies Sequel Cravings

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come makes a decent case for horror sequels. It reproduces the recipe that made the first film appealing while adding a few new ingredients to the mix. There isn’t so much a sense of reheating stale leftovers as trying to continue the feast. What it lacks is the intensity that made the first installment so captivating.

The sequel kicks off in the closing seconds of the first film. Samara Weaving (Azreal) returns to the role of Grace MacCaullay, rushed to the hospital in the opening. Having successfully survived the Satanic ritual meant to sacrifice her, she’s triggered a competition between the ruling elites. The super rich of the world must now gather to play the most dangerous game of hide and seek ever with the winner awarded dominion over the globe. However, Grace’s estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) has gotten caught in the crossfire. The two must put their differences aside to have any hope of surviving the carnage that lies ahead.

Despite roughly seven years between sequels, Ready or Not 2 feels like one film flowing into the next. Most smart sequels hit the ground running. As such, screenwriters Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy, who penned the first installment, front load exposition in the opening acts. It isn’t exactly a complicated plot, so introducing the new characters is more important than the premise, especially since it’s the same concept as the previous picture.

Although ethnically diverse, the new players are primarily the standard broad stroke clichés of the super-rich. Brash entertainers, party boys, and disturbingly psychotic children make up the main assortment. The thing is that most of them aren’t meant to be anything other than fodder for the gore show. As much as one can make an argument about eating the rich and the evils of the one percent, Ready or Not 2 isn’t as socioeconomically satirical as The Hunt (2020).

Besides that, the movie’s primary theme is about failing family. That means a lot of things in this feature but mostly it centers on the alienation between Grace and Faith. While a certain catharsis is reached, it comes across in a dull exposition dump rather than a built up dramatic crescendo. The two sisters basically say what they don’t like about each other, disgorge their history, and predictably forgive one another. There’s a similar failing regarding the villainous Danforth twins played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Shawn Hatosy (Unstoppable).

Ready or Not 2 could really have used more storytelling through violence. It’s amazing what strong choreography can convey in that respect. Here dialogue and slaughter are often plain blunt exchanges meant to arrive at a point that keeps events moving forward rather than fleshing out or adding flare to characters and scenarios.

Fortunately, the kills in Ready or Not 2 are an overall mix of comical and mildly gruesome. Unfortunately, the first film did a much better job of composing darkly comedic, borderline absurd slasher mania. There are few notable moments of thrilling desperation in this sequel. For example, scenarios such as Grace’s intensely unsettling escape from the goat pit were much more thrilling while being heroic accomplishments not for the squeamish. Ready or Not 2 doesn’t have any similar incidents save perhaps for one amusingly ludicrous fight scene after two individuals are blinded by mace.

There’s never a sense of the MacCaullays finding themselves the way Grace evolved over the first feature. Whereas she previously came to the dreadful realization her situation was real, causing her to react, here the two ladies walk or run to the next incident where they are in danger. Often this means one or both are brutalized without much happening that inspires captivating dread. The middle is literally watching two ladies run from one part of a golf course to another where bloody violence ensues.

That said, the gore is relatively stylish. The sequel leans more towards the absurd than the first flick, and while it doesn’t always surpass the previous picture, the humor that hits produces deserved laughs. Cinematically, Ready or Not 2 is rooted very much in the contemporary inclination towards gun metal grey with a blue tint giving a visual distinction from the sodium orange-red glow of its predecessor.

Such conscious choices suggest the directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett could have done more dynamic things. For instance, somehow, there are fewer sets than the first film. After the opening acts, everything essentially takes place in three or four locations on what is supposed to be a sprawling luxury resort. Considering how well the two made the mansion in the first film seem immense it feels like a failing here.

Samara Weaving is solid throughout, though it’s interesting her character needs to get back to being dangerous after already becoming a lethal opponent. Kathryn Newton (Freaky) is satisfying as sister Faith, but their past never seems like it should have alienated them. Elijah Wood (The Monkey) continues to prove he’s an excellent addition to any genre picture, especially horror. Sarah Michelle Gellar is splendid as the dangerously determined Ursula Danforth. It’s a shame her twin, Titus, played by Shawn Hatosy, is kind of a bland brute.

Meanwhile, the new players in this devilish game are a mixed bag. Maia Jae (Mayor of Kingstown) is far more interesting than her father, played by Néstor Carbonell (The Rip), yet she gets less screen time. Varun Saranga (A Thousand Cuts) is comedically amusing, while his dangerous brother Viraj (Nadeem Umar-Khitab) gets a gloriously gruesome death. Olivia Cheng (See) is in this movie.

Ready or Not 2 doesn’t do anything special, but it isn’t terribly disappointing. This is an amusing mid-tier scary movie proving sequels can satisfy. The absurdity is occasionally humorous, while the bloodshed is entertaining in a horror sense. Better than most sequels, it manages to feel fresh enough to never be dull. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a fun Friday night flick.