Movie Review: "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" (2026)
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Written by Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
2026, 108 minutes, Rated R
Released on March 20th, 2026
Starring:
Samara Weaving as Grace
Kathryn Newton as Faith
Elijah Wood as The Lawyer
David Cronenberg as Chester Danforth
Shawn Hatosy as Titus Danforth
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Ursula Danforth
Dan Bierne as Kip Danforth
Nestor Carbonnel as Ignacio El Caído
Juan Pablo Romero as Felipe El Caído
Maia Jae as Francesca El Caido
Kevin Durand as Bill Wilkinson
Varun Saranga as Madhu Rajan
Nadeem Umar-Khitab as Viraj Rajan
Masa Lizdek as Martina Rajan
Olivia Cheng as Wan Chen Xing
Antony Hall as Wan Cheng Fu
Kara Wooten as Pernilla
Review:
By (my) definition, a sequel should be bigger and badder, nastier and more quick-witted than its predecessor. I feel like most folks would agree with that assessment. Clearly, Radio Silence (directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) feel the way I do, and with this stacked cast of Satanic hunters and equally deadly hunted, they’ve delivered one of the most fun sequels I’ve seen in a seriously long time.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come picks up instantaneously after the events of Ready or Not (quite literally with that cigarette). After technically dying for a hot minute, Grace (Samara Weaving; Ready or Not, Mayhem) awakens in a hospital, handcuffed to the bed and joined by her estranged kid sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton; Lisa Frankenstein), who is still listed as her emergency contact. Before you can say “Oh, shit!”, Grace and Faith are thrust into the next level of the game. It seems the LeDomas family was but one family in a Satanic cabal that literally controls the world.
By surviving, Grace triggers a fight for the High Seat on the council that’s opened when Chester Danforth (THE David Cronenberg!!) is put down by his twin children, Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar; Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy; The Faculty). All the most powerful families have come out to try to take out Grace and (now) Faith before Dawn. There are still rules to be observed, however, and to that end, The Lawyer (Elijah Wood; The Lord of the Rings trilogy) is present with his superb smirk to assure that no one angers the omnipresent Mr. Le Bail.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come comes out of the gate so hard and so fast that you have zero doubt in the first fifteen minutes, you’re in for a movie operating on the John Wick philosophy of ever-increasing violence and higher stakes each time out. The tone is set early.
It’s also the kind of film that naturally has a bit of drag in the middle as the ensemble cast gets their respective introductory exposition. That’s a small gripe easily overlooked thanks to manic energy and razor-sharp wit that keep everything humming along while the majority of the jokes land. When you combine that with a near-staggering amount of gore in the form of exploding people, what you get is a film that is best experienced in the theater with a lively audience. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is both a clapper and a screamer of a film, that rare theater experience where there is much conversation and shouting.
Of all the great character performances in this flick, Shawn Hatosy’s chilling performance of Titus Danforth is one for the ages. His ruthlessness even comes with a built-in trigger warning for pretty extreme male-on-female violence when he kicks the living shit out of Faith in a scene that would have made James Gandolfini in True Romance either proud or ashamed, depending on your perspective in the moment. It’s intense and deserves fair warning as the most stark tonal change moment in the film.
Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton elevate a slightly undercooked estranged-sister backstory with killer chemistry and comedic timing. They’re simply a lot of fun to watch together as they battle a diverse array of wannabe Satanic heir apparents and wicked minions. And man, is it good to see Sarah Michelle Gellar still killing it! She chews up her damn scenes and maximizes every minute.
Following the template of John Wick sequels and the playbook of survival horror at its most basic, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is more than just one of the most fun movies you’ll see anywhere this year; it’s also a film that will pick up more and more cult following over time for its viciously satirical statement on the ruling class today and just what a brutal world it really is. They beg the question: can a little Grace and Faith get you through it all?
Grade:
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
