Happy Death Day 2U
review by Bobby Blakey
I love horror films and the more creative the better. In 2017 director Christopher Landon put a new spin on the slasher flick with Happy Death Day. While it was a fun movie I was a bit disappointed mostly due to the more humorous side as opposed to the full on slasher flick I had expected. With its success it comes as no surprise that they decided to add another chapter to the story with Happy Death Day 2U. Jessica Rothe and the cast are back once again with Christopher Landon returning to the directors seat, but could it actually bring more to the story and push it forward or will it once again not be worth repeating?
Happy Death Day 2U follows Tree Gelbman who unexpectedly re-enters the time loop and becomes determined to escape it after finding out Carter and her friends are now involved. When she discovers that Lori Spengler, the original killer, has been murdered, Tree must face the new killer in order to uncover their identity and break free of the time loop. I went in with an open mind once again hoping that they took the success of the previous film and built on it to make something bigger and better. While they did step their game up a bit and I enjoyed it more this time around it still fell more hit and miss with me.
Right out the gate they do something new with the story following a different character which made it feel fresh new and fun before shifting the entire story into something else completely. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to explore the direction they originally started and the fact that they kind of ditched the majority of the slasher concept all together. Make no mistake there is an all-new killer mystery here that is central to the story, but gone is the majority of the straight up slasher moments for the most part. Instead they took this one in a more sci-fi/horror direction to explain it all as well as seemingly amping up the comedy.
Knowing how the first movie played out made it easier to get in on the fun this time around despite it being a bit too silly at times. I did find myself enjoying this one a bit more than the previous entry thanks to this knowledge, but also still a bit let down that we didn’t get a more intensified direction on the slasher elements. Instead they take a different route with most of her deaths that are bigger and fun to watch, but just not what I was hoping for. If you are a fan of the original then you will most likely have a good time here especially if you liked the comedy aspect. Be sure to stay through the credits for an additional sequence.
In addition to the film this release features bonus content including a gag reel, deleted scene and featurettes taking viewers behind bringing this next chapter to life. Re-live the day of killing again with Happy Death Day 2U available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Home Entertainment.