Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Review – A Sequel That Screams Louder but Says Less
The long-awaited follow-up to 2019's sleeper hit Ready or Not has finally arrived, but Ready or Not 2: Here I Come feels more like a calculated expansion than a natural progression. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film attempts to build upon the original's premise but ultimately drowns in its own mythology.
Plot Expansion and Logical Gaps
Picking up directly after the explosive events of the first film, Samara Weaving reprises her role as Grace, who survives a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a wealthy Satanic family. The sequel immediately whisks Grace to a hospital, where a baffled detective interrogates her about the massacre. This setup raises intriguing questions about the aftermath of horror movie logic, but the film quickly abandons this thread in favor of action.
Through exposition-heavy scenes, Elijah Wood's lawyer character explains that Grace's survival has triggered a global power struggle among multiple Satanic families. Each family head must now attempt to kill her before dawn to claim supremacy. This expansion pushes the stakes to absurdly high levels, resembling more of a superhero or YA fantasy plot than a grounded horror comedy.
Character Dynamics and Performance Issues
The film introduces Grace's estranged sister, Faith, played by Kathryn Newton, in an attempt to add emotional depth. However, their relationship feels manufactured, with dialogue that often sounds like video game exposition. Weaving delivers a high-volume performance that lacks nuance, while Newton struggles to sell underwritten material.
Grace remains a difficult character to root for, defined primarily by eye-rolls, generic traits like smoking, and bloodied wedding dress iconography that never felt earned in the original. The film seems more interested in creating merchandisable imagery than developing authentic characters.
Genre Shifts and Influences
Ready or Not 2 marks a noticeable shift from horror to action comedy, drawing clear inspiration from franchises like John Wick and The Hunger Games. The increased budget allows for more elaborate set pieces, including a standout death involving an industrial washing machine, but the film loses the original's tight focus.
The supporting cast, including Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar, appear to be having fun, but their energy isn't enough to elevate the material. The film's "rich people suck" messaging feels particularly tired in 2025, especially compared to more nuanced explorations of class dynamics in recent years.
Tone and Execution Problems
The sequel maintains the smug, festival-friendly tone of its predecessor, packed with shouting, swearing, and discordant 80s soft rock ballads during fight scenes. Every element feels meticulously calculated to deliver a raucous, two-drinks-in experience, but the execution feels clumsy and forced.
In a year that has seen stronger B-movie offerings, Ready or Not 2 creaks under the weight of its own self-satisfaction. The film seems far too in love with its concept to care whether audiences connect with it emotionally.
Final Verdict
While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come delivers more screaming, running, and exploding rich people, it expands mythology that didn't need expanding and loses what made the original occasionally effective. The result is a louder but ultimately hollow sequel that prioritizes style over substance, action over atmosphere, and mythology over meaningful character development.
The film is currently showing in Australian cinemas and will premiere in the US and UK on March 20th.
