When Ready or Not premiered in 2019, it quickly became a surprise hit, cementing Samara Weaving as a rising horror star and establishing Grace Le Domas MacCaullay as one of the genre’s great modern Final Girls. For me, as well, it was an immensely enjoyable surprise, coming out of nowhere to become one of my favorite movies in a year stacked with heavy hitters like Avengers: Endgame and Parasite. At the time, I assumed there would be no way Radio Silence would be crazy enough to make a sequel, as the ending for the first was pitch perfect. It seems, however, that crazy is what directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett do, as they found a way to reunite once more with Weaving to bring us Ready or Not 2: Here I Come!
As stated, naturally when announced, I found myself skeptical that a sequel could work. Where would they possibly take it? However, when confirmed that Gillett, Bettinelli, writer Guy Busick, and Weaving were all returning, my skepticism turned into cautious optimism instead. Having now seen Ready or Not 2, I can safely say, I should have never doubted Radio Silence.
Taking place shortly after the events of the first film, Grace once again finds herself trapped in a deadly game of hide and seek —this time alongside her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) as they become targets of several followers of Mr. Le Bail seeking supernatural power.
Ready or Not 2 does what any good sequel does. It expands on the lore and the world of the original and its characters in interesting ways, without ever betraying the charm that made the first film such a beloved modern-day horror classic. The team has found a way to, once more, keep things interesting, regardless of how similar the premise may seem to the original at first glance.
While the first Ready or Not film was an allegory for the toxic entitlement of wealthy one-percenters and how they treat those they believe themselves to be better than, Ready or Not 2 is a surprisingly strong story about sisterhood, feminism, and the struggle against patriarchal control and toxic masculinity. This had to be the next logical step for the franchise after introducing one of the strongest, most iconic Final Girls in recent horror cinema with Grace. How could you possibly move forward with a sequel without reinforcing everything that character represented and stood for? Thankfully Radio Silence understood the assignment, which is absolutely unsurprising given their fine work crafting strong female characters in their Scream installments and Abigail (as well as the original Ready or Not).
They do this, not just by doubling down on Grace’s badassery, but also introducing a multitude of interesting female characters, such as Faith, and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s complicated antagonist Ursula Danforth (kudos for the symbolic gesture of casting one of the most iconic feminist horror heroes of all time for the role). With the movie’s central story focusing heavily on the relationship between Grace and Faith, you begin to see the subtlety behind the results of what happens during the moments when the sisters are unified, and when they’re divided. Throughout the film the sisters are fighting over the traumatic events that led them to be estranged. The first time they see each other, the tension is high, and they find themselves immediately captured.
Once they start working together, they end up being able to outwit and out play their opponents. This becomes evident in their first fight with the Danforths when their firewalls for one another start lifting. They are able to overpower Hatosy’s character, Titus, outwit a sniper played by a hilarious Nestor Carbonell, and ultimately take down one of their pursuers in the most creative (and literally clean) kill I’ve seen in a horror movie.
Then later on in the movie, when rifts and traumas begin to shake the foundation of their relationship, the duo finds themselves physically separated, battling two opponents, with Grace literally blind and struggling to find a way to win set to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (with the lyrics “turn around bright eyes” hilariously ringing ironically in the background, alongside the thematically resonant “I need you more than ever”). The sisters are not in the best physical shape when this happens, with Grace battling an opponent who represents the complete antithesis of women supporting women, and Faith battling a man who represents the embodiment of toxic masculinity.
When confronted by other female characters, the duo finds themselves benefitting from situations established by these women trying to help them, ultimately relying on what they learned from them, or the situations resulting in those women pushing back on the conditions or rules set by their would-be male oppressors. These characters are portrayed in the movie as much smarter than their male companions, be it their brothers, sons, or boyfriends.
Ursula finds herself warning Grace about the evils of her brother. Olivia Cheng’s character attempts to bargain with them rather than kill them, for the benefit of her useless son. Even Maša Lizdek’s character does something that serves as a screw you to her idiot boyfriend, which benefits Grace and Faith. In short, if these two characters have any shot at all in surviving this round, it’s thanks to the actions and consequences of other smart women also trying to support them, and the strength that comes from them supporting each other as sisters. This gives Ready or Not 2 a subtle but also incredibly clever feminist core that I really loved! After all, the concept of the Final Girl has been the backbone of the horror genre going all the way back to Halloween, and extending to the proud tradition of characters that inspired Grace and Faith, like Ellen Ripley and Sarah Conner.
This idea is ultimately what makes Ready or Not 2 as deep as the original. However, it’s also equally as fun! While the world domination is a bit more silly, it does at least amp up the stakes, and allows Radio Silence to explore a bit more of the mythology they established in the first film surrounding the franchise’s demonic shadow, Mr. Le Bail. It’s a little bit clunky in its world building, with longer scenes of exposition dumped on you than the first film. However, a lot can be excused when it’s executed in mostly comedic fashion, and through a more-than-game Elijah Wood. Again a clever stunt casting move, given the movie does revolve around a ring of power (of sorts). It also allows the film to do a lot more in its final act in terms of scale, set design, and complete carnage. By the way, if you thought the spontaneous combustions from the finale of the first film were bloody fun, get ready for a lot more!
In some ways, one could argue that the film does not feel as fresh as the first. And that’s a fair assessment. Conceptually for 2/3 of the movie, it’s the same hide-and-seek premise with Grace and Faith having to survive one opponent and another. However, I’d compare it a bit more to John Wick in the sense that though the premise is familiar, the set pieces are no less fun or engrossing. I’ll also say that the logic behind the “loophole” that gets triggered feels half-baked. It feels like Radio Silence wasn’t concerned about the rationale behind why this is happening again, and just decided to go for it anyway. In that regard I wish they took a bit more time to dive into that aspect of the mythology. That being said, they manage to escalate the last act of this film in an insane way that completely sets it apart from the finale of the first. This allows Ready or Not 2 to stand out on its own merits, while also standing confidently beside the original in terms of quality.
On a performance level, Samara freaking Weaving proves why she’s the most masterful scream queen working today. Yes she does have one of the best “screams” in modern day horror cinema. However, she amplifies Grace’s toughness in this, using her eyes, her comedic timing, and her ability to sell physical pain to considerably brilliant degrees. Weaving can drop a terrific one-liner like a complete action badass, she can terrify you with an intimidating sense of authority, and make you sympathize with her vulnerability and loss of hope. She’s simply a terrific and talented actress, and commands the screen with the simple delivery of a single “yup!”
Newton, who is no stranger to playing horror badasses, works brilliantly as a more impulsive foil to Grace. That being said, she proves she can hold her own when it comes to physically taxing performances, emphasizing the familial connection to Grace, without being an outright clone. Newton’s performance is charming and sweet, but she absolutely looks badass carrying a sword around. Her chemistry with Weaving is so authentic, as the leads completely sell an awkward but loving sense of sisterhood that is impossible not to invest in.
The supporting cast is led by a pair of terrific performances with Gellar and Hatosy. Gellar alternates between cold and sympathetic, showcasing a real complexity in Ursula. In one scene she attempts to comfort and rationalize with Grace, and the next she’s trying to dupe her with a trick phone call. Despite being deadly and amoral, there’s a lawful nature to her sense of evil that makes you feel for her and her situation. On the other side of the coin is Hatosy’s terrifying performance. There’s a brutal sense of chaotic evil in his performance as Titus that will have you hating him and the absolute ugliness he brings to his character. Hatosy’s heartless and quiet sense of fury brings a subtle psychopathy to his violent, toxic male antagonist, giving Ready or Not 2 a much stronger villain than we’ve seen in the franchise so far.
On a technical level the production design and cinematography are stronger in this installment than the previous one, with Radio Silence having picked up a fair amount of tricks from their time on Abigail. There’s a Satanic church in the film that really does look a lot more complex and interesting than the relatively simple sets we saw in the first installment. There are also a few really terrific shots in the movie that either enhance the horror elements or emphasize the solid costume designs for each of the characters. One scene, for instance, throws an unexpected jump scare at you through a fog of smoke. Another scene showcases the grandness of aforementioned Satanic church, but also the dark gorgeousness of a black ritualistic wedding dress adorned by Weaving. The editing in the movie is also quite stellar, with Radio Silence throwing in a few stylish tricks like using a resuscitation scene to depict the events of the previous movie and catch audiences up, or the previously mentioned and meticulously comedically timed split scenes between Faith and Grace’s separate fights against formidable opponents. Now I can’t say that any of this would be award-worthy work (this isn’t meant to be one of those movies obviously), but I can say it ups its game from the first film.
All this to ultimately say that Ready Or Not 2 is a spectacularly wicked ride that truly lives up to the first! It ups the blood, thrills and stakes in every way, using its iconic protagonist to say a lot about the strength that comes with women supporting one another against the rule of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Weaving proves why she is the reigning queen of horror as her performance, along with the story and script, strengthen Grace’s character, and elevating her to equal status as iconic horror heroes like Ash Williams, Ellen Ripley, or Laurie Strode! And as Faith, Newton is a perfect addition to this universe, radiating and fostering a perfect chemistry between herself and Weaving.
Ready or Not 2 proves that the franchise still has plenty of life left in it. It may not feel quite as fresh as the original, but thanks to sharp performances and Radio Silence’s confident direction, it’s a sequel that more than earns its place alongside the first. While only time and box office receipts will ultimately tell, at least I can safely say that despite my initial skepticism in this being a franchise after seeing the first film, now having seen both Ready or Not and Ready or Not 2, I can confidently say I’m absolutely ready for more!
Overall Score: A –
