Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves

The end of August is typically one of the “remainder bin” periods on the movie release calendar, the time when studios dump their least-likely-to-succeed films after a summer of more likely blockbusters. But in 2019, Searchlight Pictures released a movie that upended that tradition.

Ready or Not starred Samara Weaving (the niece of Hugo Weaving, from The Matrix and Lord of the Rings films) as Grace, a just-married bride trying to survive the night before her new in-laws, the Le Domas family, find her in a killer game of hide and seek. The film was very funny and very dark, featuring a cast of expert scenery-chewers and one delightful surprise after another. It may not have been award-worthy, but it was an absolutely great time — and it made my list of favorite films from that year.

Thankfully, there’s a sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come — though, unfortunately, it has the opposite release-date luck: It’s hitting theaters the same weekend as Project Hail Mary, a film that’s sure to swallow up all the box office money for the foreseeable future. While it’s not as good as its predecessor or the Ryan Gosling flick, Here I Come is worthy “counter-programming” if Project Hail Mary is sold out. And it’ll play well on streaming long after that.

(For the record, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Project Hail Mary and Here I Come both feature a lead character named Grace.)

The sequel picks up at the exact moment when the first film ended and runs seamlessly into a new chapter. Grace, covered in blood and in desperate need of a cigarette, has just survived the Le Domas family’s homicidal game night. 

She’d love to move on from the whole “my in-laws tried to murder me for a satanic pact” thing, but alas, there’s no rest for the weary: Grace has barely been treated at the hospital when she finds herself dragged right back into a similar predicament. It seems the death of the Le Domas family has created a rare vacancy at the top of a secret society, and now multiple families must compete to kill Grace so a new leader can be installed. In other words, the ritual game goes on. 

What follows is another deadly round of hide-and-seek where the stakes are, once again, life or very messy, very bloody death, featuring a bunch of absurdly rich weirdos with varying levels of murderous competency and a body count that climbs fast. This time out, because the stakes weren’t already high enough, Grace’s estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton) is along for the ride. If the two can stay alive till dawn … well, if you’ve seen the original, you know what happens then.

If that synopsis doesn’t give it away, I’ll be a bit more blunt: The sequel doesn’t stray too far from the formula. That’s generally a good thing. Here I Come picks up the blood-splattered baton from the original and runs with it — sometimes gleefully, sometimes a little clumsily, but always with the same twisted sense of fun that made the original such a blast.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — aka Radio Silence (Abigail, Scream 5 and Scream 6) — clearly understand what people like me enjoyed about the first film: the over-the-top violence, the deadpan tone, and Weaving’s ability to look both terrified and ready to swing an axe at any moment. When the movie leans into its nastier, funnier instincts, it’s great.

As the reluctant final girl who just can’t seem to catch a break, Weaving remains a fantastic anchor, delivering the same scrappy, sarcastic energy here that made Grace such a memorable horror heroine in the first film. The addition of Newton offers another female lead who kicks ass, giving Grace something (and someone) to survive for.

What the sequel doesn’t quite recapture is the novelty. It feels a bit like a victory lap rather than an original creation. As noted, the first Ready or Not felt like a wicked little surprise — part horror, part dark comedy about wealth and tradition gone completely off the rails. Its cast, which included Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, and walking sight gag Nicky Guadagni, always seemed to be in on the joke. Here I Come, with a cast that includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Elijah Wood, and Nestor Carbonell, mostly replays those beats. Not the worst thing, just not as innovative or fresh.

Essentially, if you loved the original Ready or Not, you’ll probably have a great time here. Many of the jokes land, some of the kills are creative and amusing, and the movie moves along quickly enough that you won’t mind the familiarity. 

It may not be as sharp or inventive as the first round, but Here I Come is still a bloody good game. It more than earns a cigarette.

I’m giving the movie a B.