‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ Review: A Fun Time That Doesn’t Quite Meet Its Potential

After breathing new life into the Scream franchise with Scream (2022) and Scream 6, the duo of Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, a.k.a. Radio Silence, is here to provide a sequel to one of their origin works with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. While this movie is seven years removed from its predecessor, Ready or Not, there is no time lapse in the sequel, as it picks up right where the first one left off.

Samara Weaving returns as Grace, after surviving a deadly game of hide and seek with her in-laws. After the explosive conclusion of Ready or Not, does the follow-up live up to the blood-soaked madness of the first? Check out our spoiler-free review!

What is ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ About?

While Ready or Not is a contained affair, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come blows the doors wide open. Since Grace won the game of hide and seek against the Le Domas family, it created a power vacuum among the families that belong to the Satan-worshipping High Council. Now Grace is forced to endure a double-or-nothing game in which five families hunt not only her down, but also her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton). And yes, of course, they are handcuffed together.

The cast of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is beyond stacked with Elijah Wood as The Lawyer, Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Titus and Ursula Danforth, Kevin Durand as Bill Wilkinson, Nestor Carbonell as Ignacio El Caído, and Maia Jae as Francesca El Caído, who happens to be the ex-fiancée of Grace’s deceased husband. All are vying for the prestigious High Seat by killing Grace.

The rules are as simple as killing Grace before dawn; if she survives, she wins. The families are not allowed to kill each other. If they do, even by accident, they and their entire bloodline will meet an untimely end via self-combustion. If the head of the family dies during the game, the next in line must take their place.

Is the Cast of ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ Wasted?

With a cast this impressive, in a movie that racks up quite the body count, it’s so easy to let some impressive names go to waste. Unfortunately, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a bit of a mixed bag. Nestor Carbonell is good for a few laughs, but that’s really it. Sarah Michelle Gellar is ultimately underwritten, leaving her character arc falling flat. The biggest fault is that the potential was there, the movie just didn’t allow these characters to truly shine. Most of the rest of the supporting cast are downright forgettable, only being around long enough to be combustible canon fodder.

Elijah Wood and Shawn Hatosy are the standouts among the newcomers. Wood is perfectly cast as the gamemaster of this story, with his whimsical charisma shining through as the attorney to the devil himself. Hatosy delivers a performance of pure toxic rage, the exact opposite of what fans see from his character in The Pitt. He is an absolute joy to watch as he didn’t pull any punches whatsoever.

To add to the positive, both Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton lay more stake to their claim of being the best of the best of modern-day final girls. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their sisterly relationship is at the heart of the movie. But even their back-and-forth banter isn’t enough to culminate in an emotionally resonant resolution between the two.

‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ Fails To Live Up To Its Predecessor

While the script feels a bit half-baked in the character department, it makes up for it by building on the lore set up in the first movie, particularly the High Council. Not to mention, the conclusion of this two-movie story is extremely satisfying, which only adds to the aforementioned problem that the movie should have been at an 11 the entire time. Instead, it coasted at a slightly unhinged pace, waiting until the end to really ramp it up.

Sticking the landing solely falls on Weaving’s performance as Grace, who absolutely crushes this role. She is battered and beaten from the start, but protecting her sister and her will to survive drive her to dig deep and fight for both of their lives in the face of devil-worshipping people obsessed with power. The thing privileged people always overlook is that people who come from nothing have nothing to lose, and that makes them dangerous.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is full of blood and a fun ride, but even with its ridiculous concept, it still feels a bit reined in. The ending of Ready or Not was so shocking, and its sequel definitely builds on what it set up, but I left feeling they could have gone so much further than this movie amounted to.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come hits theaters everywhere on March 20. Stay tuned to Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.