Internet Janitor
A film so much fun you just might burst into a puddle of blood out of excitement, or displeasing the devil, one of those anyway. In this direct sequel to the 2019 original, our badass heroine Grace is not free and clear as she would have hoped, for the games are not over.
Beginning moments after the events of the original, where her new family initiated her by playing a game. Unfortunately, that game was Hide and Seek, where they would hunt her, and if she could survive until morning, she would go free. Grace (played by Samantha Weaving from Scream 6) and her younger sister Faith (played by Kathryn Newton from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) are taken to a new compound. The lawyer (played by Frodo from Happy Feet: The Video Game) explains that, as she had survived, a new game was initiated. A new head of the council and ruler of the world would be determined by whichever family successfully hunted her. Among those hunters is Ursula Danforth (played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and her psychotic brother.
A hilarious complaint from some viewers and critics is that the film has a substantial amount more humour than the first. I am terribly sorry that your movie about a group of people who rule the world at the behest of the devil himself isn’t taking itself seriously.
While the cast is top-to-bottom awesome, the gem is still Samantha Weaving as our heroine. The absolute madness, pain and stress of the situation is etched across her face. While there is wackiness of people exploding and other craziness around her, she herself is always serious, always our sympathetic guide. You really believe her struggle, you’re rooting for her, and so, so many of these kinds of movies get this point wrong. Her relationship with her sister, while far from original, simply fits her character, and Kathryn Newton is a delightful addition to the cast and has outstanding chemistry with Weaving.
The writers and directors, going by the name Radio Silence, have a film which clips along beautifully. They have had recent success with Scream 5 and 6, and with this one, I don’t know how they can pull it off, but a final entry to the trilogy would be great.
Also, I like the practical use of blood, whenever possible… Not sure they can make someone explode like that, but I’m willing to be wrong.