Carl Roberts 
“Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come is a brilliant sequel, boasting a great duo in Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton.”
Back in 2019, the original Ready Or Not was released into cinemas. Directed by the Radio Silence pairing of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, the film was a highly enjoyable action/drama/comedy/horror film that was never less than entertaining. Starring Samara Weaving as Grace, a young bride who is hunted by her spouse’s wealthy family as part of a wedding night ritual to worship the Devil, the film actually threw a great twist in at the climax. The end left a chink of light for a sequel. However, it was only a small one.
That chink of light has proven to be enough. Hitting screens today is the sequel, Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come. Once again directed by Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin and written by Busick and Murphy, the film sees Samara Weaving reprising her role of Grace, the only member of the original cast to do so (although Mark O’Brien does appear as Alex in scenes from the original movie). Joining the cast for this second instalment are Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood. But can the film manage to recreate the fun from the original movie? Or should it have been a case of game over?
THE PREMISE
Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.
THOUGHTS
Of course, they can recreate the fun and mayhem of the original! How could they not? The framework was in place for an unlikely sequel from the start. Fans of the first film can rest easy, as the film is a complete riot. Comedic, dramatic, violent, and gory, the film effortlessly moves the story and the lore forward while still retaining its style. Instead of being a retread of what worked for the first film, it reveals more about the game and those behind it. Fans will already know that the franchise has a supernatural aspect to its storyline. That comes more into play here. Le Bail is still very much the power behind the game, with all involved in the hunt dedicated to him. This leads to more violent mayhem that has us laughing at its comedy while being repulsed by its goriness.
The cast all play their roles with aplomb, leaning into the mayhem, violence, gore, and comedy. Even those whose appearances are relatively brief (I’m looking at you, Kevin Durand, David Cronenberg) bring a great sense of fun to proceedings. Although it has a different outcome this time around, the funniest scene from the original film gets a revamp (Hint: it concerns a kid.) All I shall say is that Grace has learned her lesson this time around. All packaged into a neat (and bloody) 108 minutes, the film hits the ground running and, apart from a few quieter moments, never really lets up. Once the hunt for the sisters begins, it feels like the director’s simply saying, “Ready, set, GO!”
SAMARA WEAVING
Samara Weaving effortlessly slips back into Grace’s orange trainers, bringing the same energy and enthusiasm she exuded in the first film. The film picks up at the same point the original movie ended. It shows us what happened to Grace after the credits began to roll. In a quite brilliant, almost one continuous shot, we follow Grace as she collapses, is placed in an ambulance, rushed towards the hospital, and even resuscitated on her way there. When she awakens, she discovers she is handcuffed to her hospital bed, under arrest for the deaths of the Le Domas family and the arson of their home.
After an uncomfortable reunion with her younger sister, Faith, Grace is thrust back into the game again, now on the next level. The infectious energy Samara Weaving displays throughout makes her a fighting heroine that we easily get behind. She also displays some brilliant comedic acting once again, especially during a certain fight scene around the midway point. She also displays her action heroine chops too, getting extremly hands on with the violence and gore. By the time the film concludes, we find ourselves wanting more of Grace and her fight against devil worshippers. This is all down to Samara Weaving’s brilliant performance.
KATHRYN NEWTON
Kathryn Newton as Faith is a welcome addition to the franchise. Faith, Grace’s younger sister, bears a lot of anger and resentment toward her older sibling. Feeling Grace abandoned her to her own devices, Faith is none too pleased when she is called as Grace’s emergency contact. This resentment continues throughout the film before its resolution at around the three-quarters mark. Before she knows it, Faith is up to her neck in blood, guts, guns, violence, and death. But Faith can hold her own, even despite the violence inflicted on her by Titus Danforth (Shawn Hatosy, creepy, nasty, and brilliantly villainous here) later on.
Faith can easily hold her own despite her fear early on. It isn’t a spoiler to say she gets her hands on a rather handy Samurai sword, giving us Pulp Fiction/ Kill Bill vibes at times. No matter what the script calls for her to do, Kathryn Newton is more than up to the challenge. Whether it’s showing fear, emotion, anger, her comedic timing, or even a nice burst of action and violence, the actress has us watching her intently. This makes Faith a vital part of the proceedings and someone we hope to see again if a third film is to be made. Both she and Samara Weaving play off each other brilliantly. They make us believe we are really watching bickering sisters with deep issues with each other.
SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
Sarah Michelle Gellar gives a rare villainous turn as Ursula Danforth. Now, we have a problem here. The actress is superb as Ursula, being nasty and condescending to her brother, Titus, one moment; the next coming across as caring somewhat for the sisters, despite trying to shoot them or kill them however she can. She is even apologetic to them, despite needing to kill them to become the Head of the High Council. But here lies the problem; we don’t feel threatened by her at almost every turn. I mean, come on-its Sarah Michelle Gellar we’re talking about here. Despite her best efforts, the audience I saw the film with was almost CHEERING for her, not because Ursula has a slight conscience, but because of the actress playing her. And that isn’t fair to her.
The audiences around the world should take out their positive feelings for the actress, allowing her rich and enjoyable performance to shine through. The actress delivers a great acting turn as the villainess, breathing life into Ursula and making her someone that we are never sure of. With her violent tendencies, murderous intentions, and no-nonsense attitude, Ursula becomes a character we want to see more of on the screen. The actress delivers in every department, even displaying her comedic talents with ease. Apart from the two lead actresses, it is she who completes the trifecta of strong female characters in the film.
ELIJAH WOOD
Of all the cast, Elijah Wood delivers the real comedic aspects of the screenplay. As “the Lawyer”, Wood excels himself, all prim and proper one moment, hiding behind altars and other furniture the next to avoid being heavily covered in blood. The effortless way he interacts with the rest of the cast, delivers his lines perfectly, and has us unable to tear our eyes from him whenever he is on screen is superb. Although it is a supporting performance, we actually want to see his character survive the mayhem, death, and destruction. His performance has us in the palm of his hand, lending the film a stronger foundation that it needs to anchor it throughout. Suddenly, we are not only rooting for the sisters, but we are also rooting for the lawyer. And that surprises us most of all.
VERDICT
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come is a brilliant sequel, boasting a great duo in Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton. With a witty and gripping screenplay by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, the film hits the same heights as the original. Ok, so some of the surprise has gone, but that hardly matters. We go into the film knowing what the premise is, what we could be seeing, and we are ready for it. For once, it isn’t a sequel that is rinse and repeat, telling us that the first film was burger and fries while trying to sell us fries and burger and saying it’s a totally different dish. While we feel that some of it is familiar, it is different enough not to be a reread of the first film.
With the winning direction from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film does more than enough to send the audience home happy. Audience members who are squeamish and hate the sight of blood should steer well clear; this isn’t for you. The buckets of blood that get spilled here, the violence, the gore, and the brutality will give them nightmares. For the rest of us, and especially the fans, buckle up for yet another rip-roaring slice of fun and violent entertainment. There’s plenty of scope for a third film, with at least two plot threads left open to form the basis of making a trilogy. Sit back, relax, hold on for dear life, and allow the film to blow you away. Word to the writers and directors, though: Don’t wait another seven years for another chapter!
Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come is in cinemas now, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
