Picking up right after the events of the first film, Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) has survived the wedding night from hell. Just when she thinks that life can resume back to normal, she is swept back into yet another deadly game. Four other rival families who have pledged themselves to satan are after her for their seat in the organization and they will stop at nothing until one of them is victorious. But this time around Grace’s estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) is along for the ride.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett struck gold with the original film that came out in 2019. A fresh take on the horror slasher genre, it was fun, gory and boasted a kick ass female lead. I didn’t see the film until many years after it first premiered, but it rapidly became one of my favorites. While nobody asked for this sequel, it was still a devilishly fun time at the cinema.
Weaving has proven herself time and time again that she is a bonafide Scream Queen. She’s back and better than ever as Grace. After going through hide and seek the first time, she is no stranger to the craziness that will inevitably ensue for round two. She’s become desensitized and just wants it all to be over, especially now that Faith has become involved. I have to say that the addition of Newton was a brilliant one. The two definitely pass for sisters and their various scenes added an extra emotional depth to the film.
The audience were also introduced to a slew of new characters. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy starred as twins Ursula and Titus Danforth. One of the more prominent of the families, their dynamic was so interesting to see unfold. I have been a fan of Gellar’s since her Buffy days and to see her in her first feature film role in fifteen years was such a treat. The other family that I enjoyed were the El Caidos. Nestor Carbonell, Maia Jae and Juan Pablo Romero portrayed Ignacio, Francesca and Felipe respectively. A scene that took place between Grace and Francesca was one of the best of the entire film. I also loved the addition of Elijah Wood. He plays The Lawyer, he makes sure that everyone follows the rules of the game. Not only was he a scene stealer, I would love a spin off of him to learn about where he got to this place in his life.
As is usually the case in any sequel, the plot wasn’t as tight this time around. I remember being intrigued all the way through in the original, but this seemed to lack that same magic. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed learning the new lore – there was so much of it! I also loved how the kills were ramped up to a whole other level. People were exploding all over the place in very unique ways. At least it mostly kept me on the edge of my seat.
Overall while Ready or Not 2: Here I Come wasn’t entirely necessary, I am still glad that we got it. It gave fans the chance to revisit this world. I appreciated the fact that they tried to build upon what made the first one so great and they mostly exceeded thanks to the brilliant cast and the exciting mythology. While they could make a million of these films, I do think that Grace and Faith’s story was given a nice ending. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind spin offs in the future. Let’s see what happens.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5
Credits Rolling 