2026 Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

• Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
• Written by: Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy
• Stars: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood
• Run Time: 1h 45m
• Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFqGS7jDKVc
  

Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone

But wait, the game isn’t over. Picking up immediately where the first “Ready or Not” movie ended, Grace and her sister (a new character) find themselves forced into the next level. The rules are clearly explained, new players enter the contest, and there’s a new site for the hunting fun. It probably wasn’t a necessary sequel, but it was really fun. And Kevin enjoyed it at least as much as the first film.

Spoilery Synopsis

Immediately after the events of the first film, Grace sits down as the house burns and explodes behind her. The EMTs load her onto the ambulance as credits roll. As they shock her chest, we get flashbacks to the previous movie.

Grace wakes up in the hospital cuffed to the bed; she’s suspected in several murders. Faith comes in; she’s Grace’s estranged sister. Faith says Grace is a negative person. Grace eventually explains her game of “Hide and Seek” that involved devil sacrifices.

Meanwhile, old man Chester Danforth creates the news. His lawyer shows up with news about the now-dead family. Danforth decides to inform all his children, since the game is not over. We see various characters getting their notifications. “This is our chance!” Chester tells Ursula and Titus that the ball is still in play and they need to win to keep their power and success. The game starts with them murdering their father, Chester.

On the way out of the hospital, the detective in charge is killed by Bill Wilkinson, one of the early arrivals. As Bill closes in to kill Grace, he explodes like a water balloon of blood. The lawyer comes in, and he knows all about the devil and his rules.

Usulla and Titus head out to their “lodge” and welcome all the freaky relatives. The lawyer flies in with the two sisters, tied up and ready for the game to begin. Mr. Label’s lawyer enters, and everyone pays attention. He explains the situation, the reward, and the rules. The stakes are higher this time. All she has to do is survive until dawn as the rest of the family tries to kill her. There are five main hunters, but if they die, the next generation of relatives will have to join in.

The game begins. Faith and Grace wake up handcuffed to each other on the golf course. Ursula and Titus approach on a golf cart, Wan Chen Xing uses a drone to find the girls. Ignacio shoots a propane tank that almost kills Viraj.

The girls hide in the abandoned casino that’s on the property and talk about their history. Viraj makes it inside first, and he fights the girls, who have broken their handcuffs. He ends up cooked in an industrial washing machine. Mahdu, Viraj’s brother, is sent into the field but chooses to send his own wife, Martina, instead.

Wan Chen Xing reveals herself and says there’s a loophole in the agreement that would take the power away from the Danforths. The only trick is that Grace will have to marry Wan Cheng Fu. She ends up stabbing Ignacio, and he’s not getting back up again. Wan Cheng explodes in a bloody mess; so does her son.

Titus and Ursula ambush the girls at the front date, just as Martina drives her car through the gate and leaves town. This leads to more drama between the two sisters and the surviving players. Francesca shows up with a rocket launcher, but doesn’t know how to use it. They both get splattered and blinded with pepper spray and have to fight blind. Meanwhile Grace faces off against Titus. It looks pretty bad for both of them.

Grace wins her fight, but Titus takes Faith as a hostage. Grace offers to marry Titus and explains the loophole to him. The lawyer nods that this is true. Ursula doesn’t like this at all, since it eliminates her from the power position.

Suddenly, there’s about to be a wedding. Ursula comes to Grace and talks about how terrible her brother is. Titus comes in and kills Ursula, which doesn’t break the rules for some reason.

The wedding commences, attended by a crowd of cultists. The lawyer calls on Mr. Labell to witness. The wedding actually goes through and finishes. It’s all good until Grace stabs Titus with the sharp, pointy pen. It’s not against the rules to kill a family member, as Titus proved to Ursula.

Grace wins. She puts on the ring and takes over. She then immediately abdicated. Whoever’s wearing the ring at dawn, in three minutes, will be the new leader. She throws the ring down into the pit, and most everyone jumps in after it. Everyone fights to the dearth for the ring. Everyone in the family explodes.

Grace, Faith, and the goat leave the estate.

Brian’s Commentary

This is a sequel to 2019’s “Ready or Not.” This one is full of familiar faces, much more so than the original. It did not, however, have the fun theme song this time around.

This was one of those sequels that didn’t really need to be made, but it was still fun.

Kevin’s Commentary

Grace can surely take a lot of punishment and damage in these movies. So can her sister. After getting beaten up and wounded as badly as they were, they walked off at the end just fine and dandy.

I went into this thinking we didn’t need a sequel, and it was totally unnecessary. I changed my mind once it got going. I enjoyed it as much as the first one, if not more.