Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a direct continuation of the 2019 horror comedy Ready or Not, and a sequel I was very surprised to see on our new movies list.
When I rewatched the original movie on Disney+, I was reminded how great it is. Laugh out loud funny, plenty of shocking moments, and a concluding line that's just perfect. With that in mind, I thought it would be a great standalone movie.
But this is the horror genre, folks. We never seem to get just one movie, do we? Sequels are everywhere, some good, some bad. When it comes to Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, I'd consider it to be decent for what it is, and there's plenty to like about it.
When we pick up, it's right after the ending of the first movie. After surviving the deadly game of hide and seek, resulting in the deaths of her husband and in-laws, Grace (Samara Weaving) wakes up cuffed to her hospital bed. She's not going anywhere because she's now a suspect in the deaths, considering they all, you know, exploded except for her. Very suspicious.
Of course, we know that Grace was innocent, and she was due to be sacrificed to the devil Le Bail, as part of the family's deal with him. And you thought your in-laws were bad, huh?
Anyway, police interrogation would feel like a walk in the park compared to where Grace ends up. After briefly reuniting with her sister Faith (Kathryn Newton), the two are kidnapped, where they learn that the wealthiest and most influential families on Earth have to kill both of them in a new game, or they'll risk losing their power and fortunes.
So, the games begin again. Admittedly, there are plenty of fun sequences here, especially if you want some gruesome kills, which are arguably better than the ones in Ready or Not. Best seen with a crowd, these are definitely crowd pleasers.
The new additions to the cast are very fun to watch, too. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Ursula, opposite her on-screen twin, Titus (played by Shawn Hatosy). Horror legend David Cronenberg rounds out this truly awful family as Chester, the patriarch of the Danfords. It was great seeing him in front of the camera, and he's as good there as he is behind it, directing body horror masterpieces such as The Fly.
Gellar has so much fun in this role, too, a far cry from her role as Buffy Summers (no one talk to me about the Buffy reboot cancellation, by the way). She's evil here, and has a blast doing it, as she joins the others in trying to hunt down Grace and Faith.
The movie is strong because of its ensemble cast, which is worth the theater trip alone. Elijah Wood stars as "The Lawyer", an equally fun role that you definitely haven't seen him in before.
Despite all these positives, though, the sequel does feel unnecessary and convoluted in places as the lore has now expanded to accommodate these new families and rules, to the point where it feels a bit silly, even for a horror comedy.
This would be a good place for Ready or Not to stop, in my opinion, as you can easily watch the two back to back and have a good time doing it. Adding another installment with more stakes and more games would feel like a too many cooks situation.
You will very likely have fun with this movie due to its cast, kills, and tense moments. But it does build to a conclusion that never reaches the highs of its predecessor, so unfortunately, round two is by far the weakest.
That doesn't mean it's terrible, though, just don't expect to be blown away like you were last time.
