R/Horror/108 Mins
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Written by: Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy
Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Shawn Hatosy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Cronenberg and Elijah Wood
Review: This film is already great in my eyes due to the filmmakers actually listening to the fans by rightfully naming the sequel to Ready or Not, Here I Come. Genius. It also helps that the film itself is an ultra-bloody good time!
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, starts at the EXACTLY second where the first film left off. As you may or may not remember, since it has been almost 7 years (!) since the original, it follows a young woman named Grace (Samara Weaving) who is marrying into an extremely wealthy family. Gaining that wealth from a gaming empire (with a little help from the devil), they subject Grace to a game of Hide and Seek. Grace has to hide, they try to find her and ritually sacrifice her soul before dawn. As you noticed, Grace is still the lead of the sequel, obviously she won and evil lost! Or so she thought…
That’s where the sequel begins.
In the hospital and severely injured, she is visited by her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), and the police, who have questions about what went down at the Le Domas Mansion Massacre. Yet, Grace is saved by the bell, a bell being an assassin who takes out the detectives and is out for blood. Which leads to them being captured by the High Table of La Belle devil worshippers, who are also extremely wealthy and influential throughout the world. Grace, who has now dragged Faith into her mess, has to once again survive until dawn, being hunted by these maniacs. The prize? The first person that murders Grace, takes over the High Seat, therefore, controls the La Belle cult and the entire world.
After the immensely entertaining, ultra violent and cleverly written predecessor, I went into the sequel with high expectations. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come consistently hits that high bar, even if there are a few aspects that keep it from almost reaching the heights of the original.
Once again Samara Weaving is back, and it’s like she never left. Since basically no time has passed story-wise, Grace is still the dry humored, foul mouth, absolute badass that made her a memorable Final Girl. Perfectly matching her intense, chaotic and manic survival energy, is Kathryn Newton’s Faith who gives a fantastic, equally committed performance. When these two are together, the film bursts with infectious energy and their chemistry is electric on screen. Their rocky relationship is also the beating heart of the film. Since they are estranged, and being in a life-or-death situation doesn’t help, there is a lot of bickering about how their fallout came to be. These scenes really helped flesh out the characters as well as adding new layers to an already established character like Grace. It was then sweet to see how similar they really are and they work best when they stick together.
It’s also interesting to see the other side of the sibling coin with characters like Titus and Ursula (Shawn Hatosy & Sarah Michelle Gellar). They are fraternal twins who recently became the head of the Danforth family/business affairs. The two are also the ones who were supposedly next in line to be awarded the High Seat position of the La Belle cult. Due to complicated circumstances, stated by La Belle’s Lawyer (Elijah Wood), they are not guaranteed the seat, therefore they must also play the game in order to win.
Titus and Ursula also have a rocky relationship, they are dependent on one another yet they are willing to screw the other one over to get what they want. They are cold, calculated, and certifiably psychotic. Major props to Shawn Hatosy as Titus. His performance is chilling and unpredictable and is totally different from any other roles he’s played.
The rest of the ensemble/cult is also very memorable. Compared to the previous film of the Le Domas family which had entitled, snobby and messy characters. In this film, they are from multiple heads of families from around the world and they are even more outrageous and ridiculous. These colorful personalities also added an extra level of humor which was more subdued in the original.
Here I Come is more campy than the first film, for better or for worse. In most cases, the added humor is funny and makes an already insane premise even more wild. However, there are sometimes where it was more comedic when it should have been a little more suspenseful. I feel like the original did a better job of juggling the two tones. This is probably my biggest issue with an overall highly entertaining thrill ride.
Going back to how this film fleshed out Grace more, it also did a lot to add to the lore and mythology of the La Belle cult. Told primarily through the unnamed Lawyer through exposition, it revealed how deep this cult has influenced the world and is much bigger than one family that founded a gaming empire. In this case, it reminded me a little of the world of John Wick. Where the original is short and to the point, and the sequels go above and beyond to show the audience how big this world really is. Makes me even more curious where a potential third film can go.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is an ultra-gory, absolutely wild blast. If you’re a fan of the original, you’re going to enjoy the hell out of this. And yes, there will be blood. Lots and lots of blood…
Score: 8/10
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is in theaters everywhere March 20th!
