Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
by Hope Madden
Back in 2019, filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett released Ready or Not. This tale of scrappy hero Grace (Samara Weaving) delivered a giddy, action-oriented, splatter-fueled horror comedy with the relatable central message that rich people are evil.
Weaving is back for the sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Grace is paired with her sister and reluctant sidekick Faith (Kathryn Newton), as both are forced to endure Round 2. Last go round, newlywed Grace had to survive until dawn on the evening of her wedding while her husband’s family tried to kill her. There were rules, specific weapons—they aren’t savages. They’re Satanists.
Well, in surviving the Le Domas family’s game of hide and seek, Grace triggered a second game. And what this game teaches us is that the entire world is run by a bunch of billionaires, each of whom is unspeakably, irredeemably evil.
Just like real life!
But in the movie, the evil billionaires face consequences. So Ready or Not 2 is a cathartic joy.
Weaving and Newton share a fun, funny, bickering chemistry. Their backstory becomes the spine of a film that, like the original, delivers series of entertaining, bloody set pieces.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett surround the sisters with a great ensemble, including the legendary David Cronenberg as the Danforth family patriarch.
Elijiah Wood is an understated hoot as Satan’s lawyer, reteamed for the first time since The Faculty with Shawn Hatosy, effortlessly psychotic and endlessly familiar as that white guy born into loads and loads of money. (Titus is his name.)
Sarah Michelle Gellar also stars as Titus’s twin sister Ursula Danforth. Geller’s turn is a manipulative delight, a billionaire convinced that a little evil is OK in the grand scheme of things if you do good stuff too.
Kevin Durand, Nester Carbonell, Maia Jae and the whole set of entitled hangers on are also spot on and fun. The entire film feels a little like therapy, honestly.
If you enjoyed Ready or Not, I’m hard pressed to believe its sequel won’t also leave you smiling.
