There is literally no need for a sequel to the 2019 horror comedy , “Ready or Not” . That film was a nifty little thriller that accomplished its goal in a less than 2 hour time slot and left.you completely satisfied with the outcome. The only reason to follow up is to have some more fun or to make more money. I am not an investor in a movie studio,.so for me, the only thing that matters, is the movie fun?

My answer is yes. “Ready or Not 2”  is a lot of fun, although it does suffer as most sequels do from not being as fresh as the original. The film basically reboots the same scenario as the original film, but throws in additional characters and motives and provides the kind of World building that would allow such an expansion. In fact , the film picks up exactly where the first one left off , with Grace, played by Samara Weaving, sitting on the steps of the La Domas mansion , smoking a cigarette and trying to recover from her ordeal. Almost immediately, she becomes a suspect in the burning down of the house, and the vanishing of all of her in-laws, and her husband. 

The LA Domas Family Dominion turns out to be part of a cabal of satanists who basically run the world as oligarchs, controlling huge swaths of wealth and power. Director David Cronenberg appears as the head of the entire syndicate of evil doers .and Grace’s victory in the game leads to a new set of circumstances. This reset the rules for the organization and required a follow up game. Elijah Woods appears as the enigmatic attorney who represents Mr. Le Bail, the devil-like figurehead that all of the families are subservient to.

With a little retconning and a lot of exposition provided by various members of the families and by the Woods character, we see how a new game is going to play out and  the added wrinkle of multiple families competing to kill Grace is also layered with a family dynamic that we weren’t expecting. Grace has an estranged younger sister, who accidentally becomes involved in the game herself. So now we have the 2 women racing against 5 other families in an attempt to survive a more elaborate game of Hide and Seek, with the stakes being control of the world.

If the set up sounds convoluted , well , frankly , it is. I didn’t mind that. In fact, it makes some of the fun that follows more interesting and feels like it’s got bigger stakes. The intensity of the violence is turned up, as is some of the character humor of the twisted  oligarchs.as they jockey for position and control. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Hatosy play the children of Cronenberg’s character who become the main antagonists. Hatosy , in particular, is shown as a dangerously venal monster, with only a desire to  satisfy his own interests. 

Grace’s sister Faith is played by actress Kathryn Newton, and the two sisters’ estrangement and reconciliation becomes an important part of the secondary plot. In the long run, it is a lot of foolishness, designed merely to give us a reason for a group of people to try desperately to kill another group of people, and in the end, for us to clearly root for one side. The film is funny and the sick way that the original was. There are several twists along the way , some of which you see coming , some of which are a surprise. If you are a fan of the first film , you will most likely enjoy this one, Just probably not as much.