New Release: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Satanists control the world, and Grace has the fortune of pissing off every last one of them in Ready or Not 2.

This film starts immediately after the events of the first film. And when I saw it immediately, I mean, the last scene is replayed to kick off the sequel. Grace is reunited with her sister, Faith, played by Kathryn Newton, with whom she has a tumultuous relationship, and now these two are being hunted by a council of Satanists.

Get all that?

Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton in 'Ready or Not 2: Here I Come'

What works: when the movie sticks to what worked in the first movie, i.e., chase scenes, cat and mouse tension, the 'hide and seek' game aspect of it, snappy dialogue, fight scenes, wacky, gruesome deaths or injuries, this film works...HOWEVER...

Too many characters not enough juice

What doesn’t: unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of those moments, and when they do happen, the momentum comes to an abrupt stop, and you're thrown into deep talks of a broken sisterly relationship, or you're witness to an awkward brother-sister pairing that doesn’t gel (played by Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar). And those two are just several characters that aren't fleshed out, and you don't end up caring about. 'Ready or Not' had a great character setup: it felt like 'Knives Out,' with a big cast of characters you didn't spend a bunch of time with, but you understood each of their intricacies by the end. This sequel suffers the same fate as many do by introducing WAY too many characters and not giving many of them a personality. So add together a bunch of people you don't care about, and cut the time you could spend with them to a Lifetime movie scene. These moments kill all the fast-paced fun that the first was known for. I found myself completely checked out by the third act. There's nothing wrong with a predictable movie, but nothing else is interesting, and you can kinda already see how it is going to end, so you want it to hurry up and be over. Why drag out the inevitable when you're not making this fun for anyone anymore? Am I right?

I wanted to enjoy this film only because the first one was such a surprise. It was fast, in-your-face, had a distinct horror vibe, but a fresh new vibe. This one tries to be serious in a world that just isn't. Why care about two sisters, and why don't they talk when Elijah Wood is wearing such a ridiculous getup at the end? Keep it wacky, keep it darkly humorous. Save Lifetime drama for Lifetime.

I’m somewhere between a 2.5-3/5.