Review - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (Spoiler-Free)

Sharp in its statements on class wars, snappy with its chucklesome quick jokes and gory enough to gain its horror stripes was the agenda that made 2019's 'Ready or Not' earn its budget back tenfold, as it remains quite the fan favourite to this day. Although it may only seem like a couple of months have passed sinc Ready or Not delivered its satanic cult antics, seven years mark the date since its release, and in typical fashion, its sequel has finally arrived. The sincere and warm reception its predecessor received is nothing less than impressive, so the only question remaining is whether 'Ready or Not 2: Here I Come' stands up to the extremely high expectations. 

The film picks up at the exact moment where it left off, with the recently married and even more recently widowed Grace Le Domas (Samara Weaving) sitting on the steps of the grand Le Domas estate, as a fire kindled by the fleshly viscera of her deceased in-laws roars in the background. Exhausted from the whole fatal hide-and-seek game that just ensued, Grace is taken to the hospital and reunited with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton). However, the nightmare is far from over as the sisters are smuggled to the Danforth family resort, as six families who make up the upper echelon of society all gather to play one more game of hide and seek to determine who will assume the throne of the 'High Seat' of the council and essentially be granted infinite power over the world. 

Ready or Not 2 sees the same crew reunite, not just in the return of scream queen Samara Weaving, but also in the directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, alongside writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, who together deliver much of the same thing that Ready or Not already set in stone. Factors that include but are not limited to, such as grotesque explosions, one-liners interrupting intense fights, gnarly kills, and an array of morally bankrupt elites committing a roll call of atrocities, all take top billing spots. The film takes the idiom 'bigger is better' and runs wild with it. It is a risky game to pick holes in this approach; slashers, for example, namely the 'Halloween' series, all mainly follow a masked Michael Myers wearing the same cloak of disguise, chasing after a slew of victims on All Hallows Eve in the unlucky town of Haddonfield. And yet, these films are adored. Ready or Not 2 has seen a fair dose of backlash at the repetitive retelling of its original story, with the bare bones of the film following the same formula down to every detail, but with a meatier budget allowing for amplification in every department. 

However, it is within these muddied waters that audiences have also found the biggest joy. The film far from reinvents the wheel; to do so would be completely unnecessary. Bettinelli-Olpin, Gilet, Busick and Murphy nailed the blueprint, and they clearly intend to play upon this. 

One of the more noticeable areas of expansion is within its cast. An excellent barrage of talent lined Ready or Not, with the likes of Mark O'Brien, Andie MacDowell, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano and Kristian Bruun joining Weaving throughout the 95 minutes' worth of carnage. This time round, the screen is further graced by the likes of horror royalty thanks to the appearances from David Cronenberg, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood, alongside Shawn Hatosy, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, and finally Kathryn Newton, whose chemistry with Weaving as rivalling siblings is unmatched. 

There is no secret key or message lying in the sidelines of the film, waiting for audiences to conspire for years over subliminal theories and so forth, with the concept of subtly not taking the slightest shape throughout the entire film. Ready or Not 2 poses a simple formula: rich people are crazy, and the layman is at their disposal for whatever they deem fit, even if that task may require someone to be brutally hunted down to their death. The notion may seem rather timely, and rightly so, but it is a tale as old as time, and one that has been persistent in media throughout history. Whilst many examples exist, what takes thematic precedence here includes Brian Yuzna's often overlooked classic 'Society' (1989) or Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' (1999). Ready or Not 2 may not feature morphed elites colliding into one symbiotic form, nor does it have Tom Cruise discovering surrealist secrets. But the undeniable and potent theme that inducts Ready or Not 2 into the world of satirical but thematically and hauntingly truthful horrors about the upper crust of society is its blatant analogy of wealth versus morality. 

Delving into the grim guts of such a subject surpasses what Ready or Not 2 requires for a good time. The film treads carefully to avoid becoming bogged down by the quest for analogical analysis, instead opting for a level of pulpy vibrance amidst the gore and terror that lies in wait for Grace and Faith as they are thrust into a game of chaotic and bloody hide and seek. It is here where the film settles in comfortably. Ready or Not 2 knows exactly when to stir up the intensity and delve into its own lore, but equally remains aware enough to sense when to crack the whip and cut the tension with either gloriously over-the-top violence or a catchphrase-worthy one-liner, making for a very rewatchable horror movie. 

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