’Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’: Samara Weaving Once Again Proves Why She’s THE Final Girl [SXSW REVIEW]
4/5 bloody Converse shoes
Ready or Not was one of those rare perfect movies where you went into it not really knowing what to expect and left overjoyed with what you experienced. It was the right amount of absurd and thrilling that culminates into a classic final girl film.
Now, seven years later, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come joins its predecessor in the specter of horror films that are both thrilling and hilarious, though perhaps in a slightly more diminished capacity. (Plus, I’m thrilled that they actually went with “here I come” in the title.)
The sequel picks up where Radio Silence’s (Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin) first film left off, with Grace (Samara Weaving) sitting bloodied on the steps of the mansion of her deceased husband, cigarette in hand. Starting the sequel off immediately after the events of the first film is a smart way to weave in the storyline of this one. Grace, still reeling from the events of the game of hide-and-seek that was meant to kill her, is taken to the hospital.
When she awakens, she finds her sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her bedside. Faith is still Grace’s emergency contact after years of estrangement, so the reunion isn’t exactly a heartfelt one. To make things worse, Grace’s victory over the Le Domas family is short-lived. Given that she was the only person left alive at their house, she’s the main suspect of their murder. Of course, it makes sense, but also feels like a plot point that we didn’t need.
Welcome to the Hunger Games!
Before she can be arrested, however, Grace and Faith are kidnapped from the hospital. Bill Wilkinson (Kevin Durand), in a coked-up frenzied rage, storms into the hospital determined to kill Grace. See, the La Domases weren’t the only devil-worshipping elite families. And they aren’t happy about being bested by somebody else.
In a little tongue-in-cheek moment as the news makes its way through the remaining families, we see that Chester Danforth (David Cronenberg) controls everything. He has the power to stop–or start–things with just a click. He isn’t long for this world, however, as he is murdered by his children. Grace and Faith are then drugged and kidnapped from the hospital.
Usula (Sarah Michelle Geller) and Titus Danforth (Shawn Hatosy), along with Wan Chen Xing (Olivia Cheng), Ignacio El Candido (Néstor Carbonell), Viraj Rajan (Nadeem Umar-Khitab), and Madhu Rajan (Varun Saranga), are there for an entirely new game. Only this time, Grace and Faith are set loose on the sprawling grounds and hunted as prey.
As the sibling duo of the High Council, Usula and Titus are foils to Grace and Faith, and the strength of their characters lies in how they mirror their relationships. Like Grace and Faith, Titus and Ursula’s relationship is fraught with rivalry and tension.
The 1% has always been a cult
The similar vein in both films is that the 1% are the worst. Making a deal with the devil sometimes feels like that is how they keep and maintain their power. Titus is a perfect example of the kind of drunk-with-power misogynistic man that permeates that entire class.
In a different flavor, Elijah Wood gets to shine as a counsel of sorts for the families, an eccentric and mysterious man who remains on the outside but seems pleased to witness the downfall of his clients. Wood always excels when getting to play weird little characters, and as The Lawyer he lays down the rules in an exposition that, in lesser capable hands, would be patronizing. He provides the moments of straight-faced comedy that the film needs.
Weaving and Newton have great chemistry. Though at times their bickering, compounded by the bickering from Ursula and Titus, becomes a bit much, you can’t deny that their relationship is certainly integral to the film. It also just feels like Ursula and Titus and the weird energy between them needed to be fleshed out just a bit more.
Grace also encounters her deceased husband’s ex, Francesca (Maia Jae), who is convinced that Grace ruined her life. And thank god she does, because it’s the cathartic release this poor woman needs. Let her rest!
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is as audacious as it is bloody. It gives you the same thrills as the first one, and the same exploding bloody mess fans love. Was a sequel needed? Not really. But as a fan since the original, it’s great to revisit Grace.
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