Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review – not a patch on the original
The original Ready or Not – which I loved – established directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett as ones to watch back in 2019, and they have been prolific ever since, bringing us Scream 5 & 6 and Abigail. And now they’re circling back around to Ready or Not, which didn’t need a sequel, but it’s easy fun all the same.
Despite the seven-year gap, the sequel literally picks up where the first film left off, with a blood-soaked bride, Grace (Samara Weaving), smoking outside a burning mansion after being the only survivor of a deadly game of hide and seek with her new in-laws. Grace deserves a moment of peace after everything she’s been through, but she’s not gonna get it! It turns out that the obliteration of the Le Domas family has upset the order of the council, an organisation of elite families who also made a deal with the devil. Grace and her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) – who showed up at the hospital – must participate in another deadly game of hide and seek to claim a seat of ultimate power.
This sequel is basically the same premise all over again, but with Grace going up against a different set of horrible rich people. Although it is essentially more of the same, just bigger and bloodier, the addition of Faith makes all the difference as we have a fresh lead dynamic. Grace isn’t on her own anymore and she has a teammate in her fight for survival. This also creates a family drama element as Grace and Faith have resentments that they need to resolve in order to work together.
Weaving and Newton bounce off each other brilliantly and nail the horror-comedy assignment (they’re pros at the genre so it’s no surprise). They have to do a lot of running, screaming and fighting and they are gamely up for the task. Weaving’s Grace is absolutely exhausted and fed up with this nonsense and she is fuelled by anger and rage and a determination to burn the whole system down. Her primal screams are quite something! I’ve been a fan of Newton’s for ages and she is such a gem. She lights up every scene and is so damn funny (although Weaving’s pepper spray scene is the comedy standout).
In addition to Newton, there are plenty of other new faces, including my forever fave Sarah Michelle Gellar – in her first major film role in over 15 years – and The Faculty co-stars Elijah Wood and Shawn Hatosy. They all seem to be having a blast and it’s a delight to see Gellar back on the big screen. Wood is the subtle star of the show as a lawyer representing Mr Le Bail (aka the devil). He is essentially the gamemaster, ensuring everyone follows the rules, but his facial expressions and reactions make up for his exposition-heavy role.
Despite the gallons of blood and exploding bodies, Ready or Not 2 feels like more of an action-comedy than a horror-comedy because there are few scares and the girls are basically being chased around a fancy country club by a quirky bunch of rich idiots (who add a lot of comedic value). The plot and writing aren’t as tight this time around, and the final act is rather weak.
Ready or Not 2 is proof that bigger and gorier does not equal better. It’s still a fun time at the movies, even if it doesn’t live up to the original.
In cinemas now