Read Mixed User Reviews for Happy Death Day 2U

5

moviemitch96Feb 17, 2019

I thought the first film had some fun moments, but mostly just further exhausted the 'Groundhog Day'/time loop premise, and I was pretty surprised to learn that it was getting a sequel so soon, what with the first only coming out a year or soI thought the first film had some fun moments, but mostly just further exhausted the 'Groundhog Day'/time loop premise, and I was pretty surprised to learn that it was getting a sequel so soon, what with the first only coming out a year or so ago. Nevertheless, this one surprised me in some ways. For one, it wasn't really a slasher like the first one was, rather it introduced sci-fi and multiverse elements to it, which I thought felt somewhat interesting, but also ridiculous at times. Some of the acting and dialogue from certain characters was also cringeworthy. However, I will say that the acting from lead actress Jessica Rothe was once again pretty solid, and there were a surprising amount of deep, meaningful, and emotional scenes with her character that helped keep the film investing at times. But overall, despite the handful of meaningful and decent moments, rather than building upon what the first film offered, it seemed to just jumble a bunch of genres together horror/slasher, sci-fi, comedy, etc.) with no clear aim if you ask me.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

All this user's reviews

4

Rebecca31Mar 10, 2019

Happy Death Day, the Groundhog Day meets horror movie which came out two years ago has for some reason gotten a sequel. For those of you who haven't seen the first Happy Death Day, college student Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) must relive theHappy Death Day, the Groundhog Day meets horror movie which came out two years ago has for some reason gotten a sequel. For those of you who haven't seen the first Happy Death Day, college student Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) must relive the same day over and over, getting murdered by someone in a baby face mask until she figures out who the murderer is. A movie so bad it's good and so good it made over twenty times its budget, not only have we gotten a sequel but there's a strong possibility of a third movie thus completing the trilogy. Happy Death Day 2U sees the return of Tree and if she thought dying over and over again was bad things just get a whole lot worse for poor Tree as she's faced with some rather surprising moral dilemmas with dangerous consequences.

I really don't believe Happy Death Day needed a sequel, especially a sequel that honestly doesn't know what genre it wants to be anymore. I don't remember anyone asking for an explanation to the time loops but Happy Death Day 2U decides to give one anyway in the form of some really smart college students creating a molecular quantum glowy ball thing that isn't really doing what it's supposed to do but is definitely doing something freaky because why not? Why wouldn't the time loops be created like this, Happy Death Day 2U makes the decision to just hop into a whole other genre. The first one is very much rooted in horror but this was all over the place. I felt it was a mess, story wise it just wasn't working for me and it only got worse, by the end it felt like a soap it was that overly dramatic. Despite this and the truly awful script, it's got more than a few laugh out loud moments, possibly for all the wrong reasons but that doesn't really matter if it's still making you laugh. And I did laugh, numerous times at just how daft this film is. Particularly Jessica Rothe who honestly plays this part so well, alongside a whole group of mediocre actors her performance stands out even more for an hour and a half and considering so many horror/comedies fail at this I have to give it some kudos because I have seen much worse. It's a bad movie that will entertain you. The first one is a better film and I stand by my earlier comment, there was no need for a sequel but something's gotta pay the bills, recommended for fans of Happy Death Day.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

All this user's reviews

5

NightReviewsMay 29, 2019

When thinking about the comedy-horror genre, there are very few and far in-between films that come to mind. While it may be hard to conjure up a large number of films which remain memorable for quality and not for overall lewdness, gross outWhen thinking about the comedy-horror genre, there are very few and far in-between films that come to mind. While it may be hard to conjure up a large number of films which remain memorable for quality and not for overall lewdness, gross out gags are born and raised in these types of films. While more often than not, many of the films born in this genre have made, for the most part, a mockery of the genre, thankfully there are a few gems to carry the cultish torch; gems like Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, or Edgar Wright’s Shaun of The Dead and Scary Movie from the lively Keenen Ivory Wayans remain some of the few films that come to mind right away. All notable and truly brilliant contributions to the genre, these films possess the impressive ability to walk the proverbial tightrope between the equally difficult threshold of outlandish yet effective comedy and frightening and truly terrifying horror. The natural benefit of combining the two is that both commonly rely on similar mechanics for the pay off or climax of scenes. The pacing is similar; you find the same tension that gets built up for a laugh but could easily shift gears and become build up for a gasp, and for both respectable genres, it’s all about the revealing of what we the audience have been waiting for, the killer behind the shower curtain or the perfectly timed punchline.

Happy Death Day 2U is directed by Christopher Landon, a filmmaker who jumped in on the train that was Paranormal Activity after the massive success of the first indie surprise hit. Yet, as devoted Landon is to the genre itself, directing and writing many entries in the comedy-horror subgenre, including 2015’s Scouts Guide to The Zombie Apocalypse, Death Day 2U is a fresh and invigorating take on genre but also on romance, mortality and even includes a dash of science fiction. The brilliant, even outstanding advantage Death Day 2U has over films before it of its kind is its show stopping leading lady who is larger than the film itself Jessica Rothe. Death Day 2U is a sequel and we see Jessica reprising her role as Tree Gelbman, the time looped slasher victim of all slasher victims from the first film. This time around she gets caught in the Groundhog Day/Halloween type scenario once again. Let me just say that Rothe plays the role like an ace; funny, down to earth, beautiful and well-timed as a comic, she also crowns herself a worthy scream-queen next some greats. While the film uses the reviving or reincarnating premise to the fifth degree unabashedly, luckily for the audience, it never feels tiresome; the cinematic gimmick stays fresh. The main plot device is primarily governed by the films main comedic power Phi Vu playing the character of Ryan Lin, a friend of Tree’s who ends up getting stuck in the same “loop” or dimension that Tree was stuck in. With this new dilemma and multiple dimensions in the film, it never feels boring or cliché. One of the dimensions has Tree’s recently deceased mother alive and well, along with her boyfriend Carter Davis played by Israel Broussard dating Tree’s arch enemy from the original first dimension the film started in, these scenes provided surprising and truly moving emotional weight to the film, giving insight to relationships and life overall. I can honestly say that I was completely thrown off by the films ability to include so many different scenarios and ways for Tree to be murdered with some truly hilarious scenes. Yet all at the same time hold any kind of weight emotionally, the side plot involving her mother being alive is truly heartbreaking to see and did not feel melodramatic or forced. All of the side characters in the film held there weight and served there desired purpose and honestly the entire film is simply good fun. Popular culture references are present and the riffing on Inception and other dimension based works brought belly laughs out of the audience. The horror aspect of the film was designed with what I believe to be simplicity in mind, simple side plots including an affair between a young Nurse who is a friend of Tree’s and a doctor set stage for some awesome suspense sequences. The killer possess zero qualities other than mild athleticism and a brilliantly designed school mascot mask that he dons as he attempts to satisfy his blood thirst, paired with a Michael Myers style kitchen knife as his weapon of choice. The mask is perfect and Landon does a good job at offsetting the usual jump out and scare tactics to actually be effective and a hell of a fun ride. Happy Death Day 2U is a destined to fail concept, with so many genres and feelings thrown into one mix, it takes quite the perfect storm to turn said mix into a good Manhattan, and let me tell you, Christopher Landon was the perfect bartender for this party.… Expand