READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME -- Sisters Before Misters

Review by Steve Barton II

In the fall of 2019, Radio Silence (filmmaking collective including Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) burst onto the horror-comedy scene with Ready or Not. Matt and Tyler had prior success with both Devil’s Due and Southbound, but the boys proved their worth when Ready or Not captured over $57 million on a $6 million dollar budget. With that kind of success, it’s not surprising that Fox Searchlight came back to the guys in 2024 and they developed Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. While it may be nearly 7 years since we left Grace (Samara Weaving, The Babysitter) enjoying her cigarette in the carnage of her in-laws, the movie picks up immediately where we left her and we see the immediate aftermath. Her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton, Freaky) shows up at the hospital and immediately gets roped into her sister’s deadly situation. Grace quickly learns that while she was successful in winning the first game, doing so enacted an unexpected clause that activates a new game where members of the high council will stop at nothing to stop Grace, steal her ring and take the highest power in the world!

The first question you may ask yourself is did we really need a sequel to Ready or Not? The short answer is no, but if one has to exist, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a worthy and entertaining ride. With both original writers returning (Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy) to pen the script, the tone and feel transfer over well from the first film with the goofy, quippy dialogue and comically violent. The first few minutes of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come feels awkward, but it quickly finds its footing when the hijinks ensue. With the way the original movie ended, it didn’t necessarily feel like there was a sequel to set up and a sequel after 7 years in Hollywood purgatory doesn't help the cause. My other major issue Ready or Not 2: Here I Come was how often they utilize the iconic “explosive” effect. In the first film, it’s used like a killer punchline of a standup comedian’s ending joke. In this new film, it’s used so much that it loses its charm and impact after a while.

The best aspect of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is the ensemble cast itself. We have the return of Samara Weaving as Grace with a ton of new faces to the series like Kathryn Newton, the legendary David Cronenberg, Buffy herself Sarah Michelle Gellar and many more! They even got Elijah Wood to be a lawyer in charge of enforcing the rules and it’s hilarious that he’s now watching all these horrible rich folks go feral over a ring. The sister dynamic between Weaving and Newton is formulaic in its setup, but where it works is their chemistry and dialogue with each other. The sibling relationship where you’ll be having a heartfelt, nice moment and then be at each other’s throats in the next breath. They display that complicated bond between siblings so well, that it will bring the audience back in and invested, even if the story is a bit too predictable. 

In the end, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is an entertaining sequel and an interesting expansion of the lore of the rich, elite cult and how the power runs deep. With a legend like Cronenberg losing his head position, it makes the stakes feel even higher and the visceral and emotional state the fellow players get elevates the intensity even more. The kills are brutal and comedic. The blood and gore are sure to satiate the hunger of the hounds. The last act of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is where it truly won me over, because that’s when it found its own identity and how crazy it can get. While it doesn’t surpass the original film, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come will satisfy fans and further prove why Radio Silence should’ve been able to finish their Scream trilogy with Scream 7! 

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come explodes its way into theaters starting March 20th! 

Rating: 3.5/5