Warning: Spoilers for Ready or Not (2019) to follow

Releasing a horror sequel seven years after the original is a bold move, but the Radio Silence collective didn’t let that gap stop them from following up 2019’s Ready or Not. Waiting that long usually signals a concept strong enough to justify returning (and one too compelling to pass up). Ready or Not was a simple but effective horror concept that provided some thrilling set pieces, gruesome action, and surprising laughs. Although it wasn’t as compelling on a repeat watch, it undoubtedly exceeded expectations and gave us an impressive lead performance from Samara Weaving. Unfortunately, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come fails to justify its own existence.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come begins moments after its predecessor ended and spends its first 15 minutes recapping the first film. This recapping was done through flashbacks or characters explaining to unknowing characters what happened. While short callbacks or nudges to a previous film are expected and okay, eating up so much valuable run time to explain what we should already know is unforgivable. The filmmakers seemed to care more about the hypothetical audience member who hadn’t seen the first film rather than the fans who were excited to see part two of this film series. To be honest, it felt more like studio meddling rather than decisions our filmmakers made. Regardless of whose decision it was, it still made for a clunky and boring beginning to the film.

Grace (played by Samara Weaving) is in the hospital and also under arrest after surviving the events of Ready or Not. We’re introduced to her estranged sister, Faith (played by Kathryn Newton), who has absolutely no idea what happened to her older sister. Faith is only at the hospital because she’s the only emergency contact Grace has. How do we expand this story to the next day, you ask? The Council, which is made up of wealthy and elite families, is notified of the events of Ready or Not. They all need to reconvene for the next steps. Since Grace wasn’t supposed to win her game of hide-and-seek, the four remaining families must now play their own game of hide-and-seek with Grace. To win the now vacant High Seat of the Council, the families must compete to eliminate Grace before dawn. 

The cast of side characters struggles in this film. Not to say the performances are necessarily bad, but the way the characters are written and presented makes it impossible to get anything enjoyable out of them. They are all stale caricatures that are not only unfunny, but they are repetitive and boring, as well. There is one very funny and clever set piece revolving around the use of pepper spray. The humor is found in the physicality and absurdity of the moment rather than relying on cringey quips or stereotypes. Dialogue not only hinders the comedic aspects, but it also makes the film as a whole a drag. I’d be remiss to not comment on wasting Elijah Wood’s talents. I loved that he was cast, but I didn’t love that he was simply playing a by-the-book game master. Rather than workshopping a role only Wood could nail, it feels like he was only there as a recognizable face and warm body. Such a shame.

For lack of a better term or phrase, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come talks way too much. Much of the film’s run time is filled with talking. Every character has something to say at every moment, preventing the audience from getting time to just watch and appreciate what’s on screen. Nothing is left to the imagination. When sarcastic quips aren’t being dropped, characters would often talk to themselves to explain or react to what they’re doing or what just happened. What I found even more frustrating was the repetition of story beats and conversations. Grace and Faith have nearly the same conversation about their relationship three or four times. Nothing new is learned from the additional conversations, additional character traits aren’t discovered, and the film didn’t become more interesting. It’s as if the filmmakers copied and pasted these discussions between the sisters as placeholders and then forgot to delete them when they filmed.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come doesn’t improve upon the original and doesn’t do anything different enough to commend it for taking risks. It’s all more of the same, but it’s less fun and not nearly as funny. In theory, picking up right where the first film ended could have been interesting if they had gone an entirely different direction, but rehashing so much of Ready or Not grew tiresome. A version of this taking place several years later could have put us in a more interesting and less forced scenario. A telltale sign of a clunky script is when it makes you question things that you shouldn’t be focused on. Because the film opens with Grace getting arrested and questioned for the deaths of the Le Domas family, it’s something you’ll continue to think about for the rest of the film. Nothing that happens resolves any of these aspects, and you’re left thinking about something as silly as the legality of it all. Maybe these questions will be answered in a third film that takes place directly after the events of this one.

4.9/10

Movie: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)
Production Companies: Vinson Films, Mythology Entertainment, Radio Silence
Distributed by: Searchlight Pictures
Producer(s): Trip Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Written by: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy
Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood
Review by: Stefano Todaro