Even with sequels, there’s something to be said for efficiency…

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come picks up exactly where we left off basically forcing any exposition and story development to keep up at a break neck speed as it dives head first back into the maelstrom of mayhem.

Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is about as close to a cinematic layup as it comes as the Radio Silence team of Matt Bettinelli-Opin, Tyler Gillett and everyone in their orbit runs it back and turns up the chaos to 11.

It’s all well and fun but it’s also just recycling many of the beats from the first movie.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing but this also isn’t a story that kicks any kind of genuine innovation into high gear.

It follows the ethos of “same but more” as new players like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Kevin Durand, Dan Beirne, Nestor Carbonell, Elijah Wood and even David Cronenberg join in for the fun.  All of them have fun chewing the scenery and being villainous but it’s actually our heroines that makes these films entertaining as all hell.

Samara Weaving as Grace reclaims her mantle as our embattled ‘final girl’ in a physical performance that might actually be more engaging here then it was the first time around.  Covered in blood and in her wedding dress she can still kick ass and throw off one liners in the vein of Snake Plissken or ‘Dirty” Harry Callahan doing what she has to do in order to get through the night.

The really compelling extra layer here comes in Kathryn Newton as her estranged sister Faith being thrust into the madness.  They have a great back and forth chemistry and do a wonderful job of learning quickly to not give a fuck about the carnage that follows them at every turn in order to survive the night.

Ultimately, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is filled to the brim with highly entertaining set pieces, some brutal twists and turns combined with scene chewing villainy and enough witty banter to make sure we never take any of it all too seriously.  I’ll grant this could have debuted on Disney+ just as easily as it did in theatres, but either way get yourself a big bucket of popcorn and turn your brain off for 108 min, because honestly isn’t that all we really want anyway?