“I’m going to have to die over and over and over again to save all of you.”
What happens when you combine a college comedy, “Groundhog Day” and a B-movie slasher? You get 2017’s popular horror comedy “Happy Death Day”, which received praise from critics and fans alike for its humorous spin on slasher films. Sadly, “Happy Death Day” fell into the trap that many comedy and horror films fall into: unnecessary sequels. Did the film’s follow up live up to the original or did it fall short?
“Happy Death Day 2U” picks up right where the first film left off. After reliving the same day repeatedly, Tree Gelbman finally escaped the time loop and is ready to begin her new life dating her new beau, Carter Davis. Her new life is interrupted before it can even begin, however, when she learns that Carter’s roommate, Ryan, is stuck in a time loop incredibly similar to her own. To save Ryan, Tree ends up getting stuck in her time loop once again, but things aren’t as they seem.
Sadly, “Happy Death Day 2U” was incredibly disappointing. The sequel tries to desperately to recapture the twists and turns of the first film to very little avail.
The real problem with “Happy Death Day 2U” is its plot and writing. While the first film heavily implied that Tree was living the same day repeatedly due to fate, the sequel tries to explain it with science, making the whole concept much less interesting. It almost completely drops the horror elements from the first film, making it more into a comedy drama, which would be fine if the comedy and drama didn’t feel so forced.
The film sets up an interesting plot element in the first act which is completely dropped and never talked about again, making me wonder why it was ever introduced in the first place.
One of “Happy Death Day 2U”’s biggest saving graces was Jessica Rothe, who plays the film’s lead, Tree Gelbman. Rothe is a joy to watch, bringing incredible comic and dramatic timing to scenes that would otherwise be dreadful. Israel Broussard is also incredibly fun to watch as Tree’s love interest, Carter Davis.
Everyone else, however, is awful. Laughably bad performances are a theme with the rest of the supporting cast, as no one else comes close the talent of the two leads. Most of the characters in “Happy Death Day 2U” are one-note, two-dimensional caricatures whose only reason for existing is making one joke over and over again.
The film tries multiple times to get an emotional response out of the audience. Each of these attempts fall flat, however, as they are juxtaposed with over-the-top comedy that borders on slapstick.
Overall, “Happy Death Day 2U” will leave fans of the original disappointed. Outstanding performances by Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard simply aren’t enough to save the film. An overreliance on lackluster comedy, cliché drama and a convoluted plot make this another bland horror sequel worth skipping.
Rating: 2/5
