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Title: Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jessica Rothe | ... | Tree Gelbman | |
| Israel Broussard | ... | Carter Davis | |
| Phi Vu | ... | Ryan Phan | |
| Suraj Sharma | ... | Samar Ghosh | |
| Sarah Yarkin | ... | Andrea 'Dre' Morgan | |
| Rachel Matthews | ... | Danielle Bouseman | |
| Ruby Modine | ... | Lori Spengler | |
| Steve Zissis | ... | Dean Roger Bronson | |
| Charles Aitken | ... | Gregory Butler | |
| Laura Clifton | ... | Stephanie Butler | |
| Missy Yager | ... | Julie Gelbman | |
| Jason Bayle | ... | David Gelbman | |
| Caleb Spillyards | ... | Tim Bauer | |
| Jimmy Gonzales | ... | Police Officer | |
| Peter Jaymes Jr. | ... | Police Officer | |
Happy Death Day 2U stars Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard talk switching genres and reveal details of the third film in their cult series.
Having survived the farcical but utterly life-threatening events in Happy Death Day (2017), the feisty sorority sister, Tree Gelbman, finds herself in the same college dorm, thankful to be alive. However, this time, it's Carter's roommate, Ryan, who claims that he is reliving the same paradoxical day over and over again, as a mysterious paranoid killer in a single-toothed baby-faced mask with a big kitchen knife has made a habit of murdering him. Under those circumstances, a valiant but vain attempt to face the challenge, once more, will send Tree back to square one, trapped in an all too familiar and blood-drenched time loop. How many deaths separate Tree from a truly happy birthday? Written by Nick Riganas
Sometimes it's better not knowing how the sausage is made. The first Happy Death Day was a fun little slasher flick that never took itself too seriously and was thoroughly entertaining for what it was. The sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, tried to provide explanation to the phenomenon that befell Tree in the first film. It all involves a science project gone wrong and a bunch of time-looping sci-fi mumbo jumbo that isn't nearly as smart as the movie thinks it is. This should be a franchise where you can just turn your brain off and have a good time. Instead, 2U wants the audience to think. That's the big mistake. Most of the "science" stuff makes little to no sense, and making us think about it only makes us realize how convoluted a mess this story is. I won't even get into the eye-roll worthy plot conveniences that have to exist for the film to even move forward in some spots.
Another issue is this isn't a horror movie. There may be a couple short scenes that lend themselves to horror, but this is much more so a sci-fi story, a far cry from what we started with in the first movie. Also, the movie reaches a satisfying ending place, but then decides to not end there and throws in a ridiculous "heist" movie at the end. Why not? We're already watching a horror-comedy-scifi-romcom?
Now, it's not all bad. The movie does keep moving at a steady pace and most of the characters are entertaining (even if they aren't particularly engaging). The sub-plot about Tree's mom feels genuinely heart-felt and gives the movie a little emotional weight. There's plenty of decent laughs throughout. And, as in the first film, Jessica Rothe seems to be having a ball in the lead role. There's also a mid-credits scene to suggest we're gonna expand this universe even more. And while I'll welcome a third movie in this fun franchise, I wish the writers would understand that more isn't necessarily better. Sometimes keeping it simple is best. 6/10