Happy Death Day 2U (2019) - Movie Review

Well, it’s February and you know what that means: Horror… movies…

Wait, didn’t I just write this? More to the point, haven’t I reviewed this movie already? Came out a couple years ago, it was this time loop slasher film with a dark sense of humour… yeah, I’ve definitely seen this already. Has all my time bitching about the prevalence of this plot device somehow got me stuck in one myself? Is my Groundhog Day having to review the same movie over and over again?

No, I haven’t quite gotten that far up my own arse to attempt some alternate-reality game shit in these reviews… not yet, at any rate. I’m just using this as a preface because something this bizarre kind of needs to introduced in a surreal fashion. It’s not every day that a film comes out that is both a serious rehash and a bold step into new territory.

While maintaining the darkly comedic slasher stylings of the original, this one steps into more definitively sci-fi territory as we discover not only what has been causing the loop to happen, but also enters the realm of parallel universes. Christopher Landon has taken up writing duties this time around as well as staying in the director’s chair, and while there are some teething problems with the dialogue (Phi Vu's Ryan using “I’m sorry, I don’t speak-a the English” to not talk to a leafleter has ‘a white guy wrote this’ written all over it), credit to him for not only succinctly recapping the first film but also introducing all this new shit in quite nimble fashion. For a story this cluttered, it had to be that air-tight in its pacing.

Now, this is still the same basic framework as the first film: It still focuses on Tree reliving the same day over and over, with the Baby-Faced Killer in tow as the main threat. All the extra trimmings may not be enough for some audiences to get past how they are revisiting the same events once again, something disheartening considering how much of a breath of fresh air the original was. However, credit is again due to how this handled, since the stakes involved here may actually be greater than what we got last time.

Without getting into spoiler details for a film where the twists are half the fun, let’s just say that we’ve gotten to the point where Tree is trying to stop the time loop… as well as figure out whether she wants to stay where she is or not, adding onto the emotional drama of the first to make for even more intense moments of catharsis. That’s an achievement regardless of the replay.

However, there’s a bit of a problem with the new sci-fi tinge: It ends up overshadowing the slasher elements, turning the bulk of the film into something of a genre jumble. Hell, by the time we get to the end, it feels like the film only just remembered that there was even a killer in this to begin with, providing a unwelcome return to the weakness of the original’s finale. It’s not the most satisfying climax for a film like this, but considering everything else prior, it’s difficult to get too annoyed with it.

Honestly, it’s difficult to get too annoyed with any of this because the effect this film leaves is quite strange. It follows the typical sequel formula of ‘it’s the same, but bigger’, and the levels of déjà vu here can get ridiculous at times. But while saying that, it also shows some real ambition as a sequel, building on the dramatic beats of the original to warrant this kind of continuation and showing plenty of creativity in keeping things fresh in an inherently repetitive narrative. It’s both tired and new, and even considering modern standards for remakes and sequels and the like, this isn’t an effect that a lot of films result in nowadays. And as a result, I have developed a quite potent fondness for this movie, both as strict entertainment and as one of the weirder post-cinema experiences I’ve had in even trying to dissect the thing.

If nothing else, this makes for a better modern take on Back To The Future Part II than we got with Hot Tub Time Machine 2, a film worse than this in literally every respect possible. I guess last year’s trend of making up for past sins is still holding on.