The Mosley Review: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Sometimes I wish that films that were successful upon release, that gained a following and were herald as one of the best of that year, never get the sequel treatment. Now I could rattle off so many different films in all genres that certainly didn't need a sequel, but that'll take all day. It is widely known that the horror genre is the home for sequels that expand the stories and increase the bloody body count with each entry before they get tired. The same question applies though: Why? Well this film answers that question in a way that left me more indifferent than satisfied. The first Ready or Not was a fresh, darkly hilarious and fun take on the game itself with a setting that lent itself to a great funhouse of violence and chaos. This film tries to up the scale by diving deeper into the satanic cult another set of families made and it worked for a bit, but something was missing. The first film was a survival film and this one was more about dysfunctional family trauma across the board and I ended up not really feeling much empathy for anyone in the film. The story was crafted well in the beginning, but the further it went on, the story and the characters just got dumber and meaner. It was unfortunate because I truly enjoyed the first film and this felt like a sort of cash grab.
Samara Weaving returns as Grace MacCaullay and she continues to be a powerhouse on screen. Grace's trauma and survival instincts are intact as we catch up with her almost immediately after the first film. I like that she was tired and barely even healed as she faces off with a new set of killers. She is smarter this time around, but also dumber. After all that happened in the first film, you would think she wouldn't waste time talking as much to her opponents and just dispatch them quickly. Kathryn Newton joins the chaos as her estranged sister Faith and she did excellent. The constant bickering and hatred between them was understandable throughout the film, but almost unbearable with the lack of any care for one another during the majority of the film. Nobody cuts deeper to your core than family, but by the time the finale rolls around, I almost didn't buy their bonding experience. Its a testament to their acting prowess for sure. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy were great as the twin brother and sister duo Ursula and Titus Danforth. Sarah excels at bringing out the cunning nature of Ursula and Shawn was insanely brutal and hard edged as Shawn. The rivalry between them was the other side of the dysfunctional coin they shared with Grace and Faith and I enjoyed the boiling pot of contempt they had brewing the entire time. Néstor Carbonell is always a welcomed addition to any cast and as the head of his family, Ignacio El Caido, he was just having the time of his life. Maia Jae was beyond wrathful as Ignacio's daughter, Francesca El Caido. The beef between her and Grace goes deeper than the game and I loved their messy and hilarious fight scene the most. Olivia Cheng was great as the head of the Wan family, Wan Chen Xing. For a moment, she reminded me of Adam Brody's character in the first film as the only one that actually had a heart. Now the one that stole just about every scene effortlessly was Elijah Wood as "The Lawyer", a representative of Le Bail. The man was basically the lore and order keeper of the film and I loved his calm and charming demeanor. Even though the he was evil, you can see the part of him that was secretly rooting for Grace and Faith.
The score by Sven Faulconer was good and added to the brutal nature of the action and punctuated the dark comedy. The problems I had from this new entry stemmed from the tonal shift from the first film. I loved that the level of carnage was increased and the chase was fun, but the level of intelligence has gone down. Like I said before, there was too much talking. If you have your opponents at gun or even sword point, why are we trying to make a deal? If this is a game of survival, then use the weapons that are provided against your opponent! I genuinely was not feeling the tension or surprise of the first film as it just dragged on. Bigger action, more blood and more characters don't always equate to a better sequel. The same writing and directing team of Radio Silence surprised us all with the first entry and somehow this film felt like it wasn't them behind the camera. They have a unique style, but this film felt tired and as if the directing duo have out grown their own franchise. Overall, there was some bloody fun to be had, but it just felt like the same heart and dedication the first film had was missing from this new entry. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
