More like Happy Death Day 2 This Franchise! Am I right? No? Okay…..
Synopsis: Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U , the follow-up to Blumhouse’s surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time, our hero Tree Gelbman discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.(Universal Pictures)
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, and Phi Vu
Writer: Christopher Landon
Director: Christopher Landon
Rating: 14A (Canada)/PG-13 (United States)
Running Time: 100mins
Trailer:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s what they say. That’s also what the writers of Happy Death Day 2U unfortunately failed to take into consideration when putting this story together. Happy Death Day 2U simply took what the first did so well, and attempts to justify itself in the most ridiculous way which only took away any sort of charm that the original had and completely flips the genre as a result. Now if you are looking for something similar to the first film, in terms of quality and content, HDD2U is absolutely not it.
The original Happy Death Day was the type of film Blumhouse does best – putting a fun little spin on and old idea, removing any of the saturated feel within the concept. This seems to be the universal consensus on that film, earning a moderate to high level of praise from the critics as well while also making a decent dent in the box office. The trailers for this film appeared to give off a 22 Jump Street-esque level of self-awareness, and it was definitely intriguing as to how they could take the concept of the first and make it less repetitive. What we have here isn’t necessarily repetitive or the same idea as the first, but surprisingly, what we end up with is much worse film than that, surely making some wish it was just the same-old-same-old again now.
HDD2U has one massive problem and it’s what for the most part, makes it a complete disaster. The creative team behind the film has decided to ditch every trace of slasher satire for this sequel. Without giving anything away, this decision completely changes what the film was even about. So much is drastically changed that it’s difficult to fathom why this is even considered a sequel to begin with. This was quite problematic as far as the film is concerned as it completely strays away from everything that made for the original film’s charm. This change may not sound bad on paper but its uninteresting and dull nature will surely convince you of that.
Pretty much everything else here about this film is bad, and it almost seemed like the filmmakers tried to make things worse here. The dialogue is terrible, and was reminiscent of an early 2000’s Disney channel series. The acting is awful, and the delivery of these terrible lines make them sound even worse. Every single aspect of this film is just so extraordinarily bland, that it’s difficult to even come up with a particular reason as to why.
This review may not make this come across, but Happy Death Day 2U is frustratingly bad. Barely anything about the film is redeemable and it’s genuinely shameful that this actually exists as a part of this newly-minted franchise. Whether or not it continues from here remains to be seen. All of the ideas at play here were so tiresome, that it’s hard to even point one reason out. Watching this film will have many wishing that it was Happy Death Day 2 them instead.
Score: 2/10
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