Asking why an immensely popular and successful movie like Ready or Not was sequelized is an exception to the “there are no stupid questions” notion. The better question is, did Radio Silence need to make Ready or Not 2: Here I Come? No, not really, but this second installment of Samara Weaving whacking the wealthy has its pleasures, albeit inconsistent ones.
Picking up right after the first movie, Weaving’s character Grace enjoys the briefest of final girl respites once the murder games recommence. Convoluted lore dictates the mayhem is far from over until what was begun is finally finished. And along for the ride is new player Faith (Kathryn Newton), Grace’s estranged and younger sister. The two then have no choice but to cooperate as multiple rich families hunt them down.
The breakneck pacing of Here I Come works in its favors, as the immediacy and haste force you to buy what the story is shoveling. There’s a lot of Satanist legalese to be heard before getting to the good stuff, which, of course, is Grace and Faith evading a band of killers. All this, by the way, takes place on the more expansive luxury manor. That larger space to play in gives the sequel some mobility, unlike the stationary quality of the original. Trapped is trapped, though, even if the in-story logic to keep the heroines confined to the grounds is bordering on thin. You yourself may not end up missing the smaller setting of that first movie, yet there is something to be said about the claustrophobia it offered. Going from room to room, as opposed to building to building, is way more tense.
A bigger cast here ensures a plethora of colorful personalities, although everyone mostly boils down to selfish and inept. This satire of the rich is about the same as any genre-driven lampooning these days. You’re getting caricatures, not characters, in this sequel. Nonetheless, the humor is effective and well engineered. The general clumsiness of Grace and Faith’s pursuers leads to a good deal of gasps and giggles.
What ultimately replenishes Ready or Not 2 when it feels like its losing some energy is the sibling dynamic at the heart of the story. Grace and Faith’s discordant teamwork, plus some admittedly very telegraphed rifts, keeps you engaged whenever the villains are losing their appeal. Even the iconic and usually-charming Sarah Michelle Gellar gets sacked with a generically hard-hearted role. On the other hand, Shawn Hatosy steals the show more than first anticipated. His unpredictable character singlehandedly satisfies the film’s scariness quotient.
Ready or Not 2 is more of the same, and for most folks watching, that’s fine. You and I know what we were signing up for, and this sequel turned out as well as could be, given the slightly tweaked yet still-reiterative story. Weaving and Newton’s roles are relatable and likable, and the comedically gruesome tone is spot on. So if going bigger is all that was required of it, then Here I Come more than exceeds.
After premiering at South by Southwest 2026, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come opens in theaters on March 20.
Tales from the Paulside 
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