After surviving the first family in Ready Or Not, Grace, now alongside her estranged sister Faith, must face four further families who are each vying for the ultimate end game of controlling the world from the all powerful ‘High-Seat’.
Back in 2019, Ready Or Not burst like exploding bodies onto our screens and gave us a thrill ride we didn’t know we needed. A complete film with the heroine’s victory and a pretty satisfying conclusion. Fast forward 7 cinema years we once again meet Grace, shaken, bloodied and numb at the dawning of the morning after the brutal night before. Although now, we find that with the Le Domas family out of the way, the high-seat has once more become vacant for four highly wealthy international families to try for the ultimate power.
As with every hero’s journey, and also in this case a much loved original Ready Or Not, we now revel in the story’s progression that will inevitably up the ante with more heroines and of course even more villains and villainesses. Starring once again some utterly superb acting from Samara Weaving as Grace Le Domas, we are instantly thrown back onto the steps in front of the Danforth house as it burns to the ground behind her. Although now, Grace has not just upset one family but a further four. From New Jersey, London, Madrid and Shanghai, the new villains converge at a new even larger house of games, each armed with the weapon of the time their families enrolled into the mortal multi trillion dollar game of cat and mouse.
Alongside Samara – who broke her back exactly one month before filming which thankfully healed two days before – is her younger sister: bonded by blood though not family in the form of Kathryn Newton as Faith MacCaullay. Initially cynical of her elder sister’s sacrificial story after the recent onslaught: she quickly understands the mortal game was all too real as she now finds herself in amongst the even more blood soaked round 2.
Co-directed once again by both Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, otherwise known as Radio Silence, who have also directed several other films including the previous two Scream films and the other blood soaked joy of Abigail (2024), we are thrown once more into a comedy horror that is so much more than you might think or indeed expect. For a film to work so well once more and especially a direct sequel, we must have additional main actors who are no strangers to the world of blood and gore. Cue Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy fame who in this case acts as our main villain and also third scream queen, Ursula. The eldest of the Danforth family twins, she now fights alongside her larger yet younger brother Titus, played by Shawn Hatosy. With also a rare appearance by David Cronenberg who has a cameo as head of the Danforth family.
There certainly are differences between this and Ready Or Not. The first film led us blindly yet brilliantly into an unknown world where the trailers were the only element to inform us as to what was to come. Highly enjoyable, Radio Silence felt another film was not necessarily inevitable but longed for by the baying masses; and so here we are. Having worked with Samara and Kathryn separately in previous films, Matt and Tyler were working on another script entirely for the two actors but realised their collective work here would be something pretty special. And it is. The first Ready Or Not film was based on a relationship of the newlyweds that started strong yet quickly fell apart. Here the reverse is true. Grace and Faith, estranged for many years, find an increasingly common ground whilst striving to survive until dawn.
Diving now deeper here into this new satanic world for clarity requires in depth though still enjoyable exposition, and here we have the Lawyer, played superbly by Elijah Wood. A part requiring several long minutes of continuous dialogue on screen, though it didn’t feel in any way forced or laboured. There are some humorous moments away from the onslaught outside with the other three families that are too many to mention here. They simply bring an enjoyable breathing space; drinking their many cocktails viewing those on the outside suffering through pain and torment. Pay attention here to the industrial washing machine…
What could have become a simple copy and paste of the highly original film actually provides a story that is as involving, extremely well cast and another absolutely bloody ride. Part 1 is available on Disney Plus right now and should be watched directly before to make this a positively awesome combined thrill ride. There is hope by the aforementioned masses for a third film in this trilogy and to possibly be entitled Ready Or Not 3: Here I Come, You Can’t Hide. If this is your thing then do look out for similar yet slightly darker films such as Smile 1, and the even better Smile 2 which once again follows directly on.
Ready Or Not 2, will leave you shaken, stirred and covered in 360 gallons of glorious fake blood.
Author: Piers, Maidstone Store
