Samara Weaving, who some day will get her due and receive a best actress award, returns to do battle with the devil dealing aristocracy.  As sequels go, this film is aware of the necessity of the increase of characters, wider scale of setting and of course amplification of the gore and blood. Ready and Not 2: Here I Come, has the feel, the look, and the tone of its predecessor. Including also the secret recipe of dashing in the surprise component of dancing around the hookiness. Not really fully committing to be hooky, and playing it near the edge.  Its predecessor being “Ready or Not”, a film that was in my top five best horror films of 2019 was a unique concept and difficult to recreate. As sequels go this film is just missing the crucial element of freshness of a fantastic script, namely an empty and unfulfilled second act. The film feels like going to your favorite restaurant and it looks the same, the people are the same but the food is a little different, almost as if it was leftovers.

Something that  is expected when you are releasing a sequel to a film that was seven years ago.  A film that was a little of a darling for its fans and got praise from many  critics. This film does stumble in editing. Some of the cuts extend longer than what is required, and add some unnecessary cuts that take away from any kind of pace or hint of progression. 

What saves the film isn’t so much the gore or horror aspect, but the comedy- it saves it, it doesn’t elevate it. it depends on it more than the first. The cast is fine, it’s great to see Sarah Michelle Gellar and a small appearance of David Cronenberg in this adds to the validation of being a horror.  Rounding out cast features quiet and subdued Elijah Wood and loud and brandish Shawn Hatosy not forgoing the gen x nostalgia to be included. 

There’s nothing truly failing the film, it’s just that it’s a sequel to a unique , fresh, and what I consider, highly original film. The sequel does have that. It’s still funny, but it’s not original anymore. There were some bits and jokes that did make the audience laugh out loud. 

There are some things are naturally going against the film just being a sequel. Namely,  the late arrival of a sequel, and the massive uphill battle of being a sequel to unique original horror. Not all it lost, it is an hugely entertaining film. The one big stand out is the stunts and stunt coordinations. Actually impressive stunts and special effects.I don’t see  any reason to make another sequel to this to become a franchise. If they choose i would it best to change trajectory. Recapturing the success of a surprise hit like “Ready or Not” is rare. The attempt here is admirable. There are some things that work in this and there are some that bluntly don’t. There’s a gap in the underdeveloped middle part of this film that can’t be ignored, but book ended clever enough and funny enough to recommend seeing if you did enjoy the first one, just don’t expect freshness. 7/10