After surviving one deadly game, Grace and her sister Faith must now outrun four rival families competing for a powerful throne – winner takes all.

‘Ready or Not’ was one of 2019’s pleasant surprises, a subversive horror comedy that genuinely managed to surprise with inventive twists and turns. Its success meant a sequel was inevitable, almost as inevitable as this not being nearly as good as that first effort. Samara Weaving is back as Grace, alongside a new cast of characters as the scope of this world of wealthy families killing off individuals for sport/ritual expands to include multiple families across the globe.

Beginning almost immediately in the aftermath of the first film as Samara Weaving’s wronged bride exits the Le Domas mansion covered in blood, she is immediately put back in danger as it turns out the death of the Le Domas family has created a vacuum in this elite underworld which draws in similarly depraved and wealthy families from across the globe. This includes the Danforth’s who are headed up by horror directing legend David Cronenberg as the patriarch, with his children (Sarah Michelle Geller and Shawn Hatosy) setting the ‘game’ in motion, and others played by the likes of Nestor Carbonell, Olivia Cheng and Kevin Durand. Their task is to once again hunt down Grace, with the winning family gaining even greater power and the prestigious position of the High Seat (yes this is kind of ridiculous).

If you liked the first film, there is plenty to enjoy here, from inventive deaths, plenty of gore and lots of dark comedy, with Samara Weaving anchoring the narrative well. Kathryn Newton is a good addition as her sister, as is Elijah Wood as some kind of administrator for the elites. Where it falls down is the law of diminishing returns as we’ve seen this done before, and better, in the first film, and the new world building elements are kind of silly even for the heightened world established in the first film.

So I did enjoy ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ and it’s a good way to spend just shy of 2 hours at the cinema, but adjust your expectations accordingly.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Kevin Durand, Néstor Carbonell, Olivia Cheng and Elijah Wood

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt33978029/