Sometimes, a movie just lands for you. You see a trailer, think it has potential and then boom. It gets you. Happy Death Day was that movie for me. It became a favorite of mine, and after seeing it a handful of times, I still get a kick out of it. Jessica Rothe’s Teresa “Tree” Gelbman is dynamite. Rothe brings a lot of ethos to a film that doesn’t have a right to be as good as it is. Needless to say, I was hyped for a sequel. So, after much ado, I present my Happy Death Day 2U review.

Happy Death Day 2U Review

Happy Death Day 2U picks up a day after the repeating events of the first film. We pick up the story from the perspective of Carter’s roommate, Ryan (Phi Vu). The meat of the first act follows Ryan, who soon gets stuck in a time loop of his own, matching Tree’s from the first film. When Ryan reveals to Tree and Carter (Israel Broussard) what is going on, Tree immediately sets out to help him figure out who’s behind it. What they discover is much bigger than this universe.

It’s hard to give much of a synopsis on this film. I didn’t watch any trailers, but there’s a lot going on in the first 20-30 minutes that I don’t want to give away. Going in clean will help.

It should be noted that the perspective does switch from Ryan to Tree after the first act, which is for the best. Rothe’s performance as Tree in the original Happy Death Day earned her a lot of sympathy, and she carries both of these films like a pro. Her performance here is just as strong, if not stronger than the original, and it elevates the rest of a mixed bag movie.

Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life.

I love Tree’s character. Her arc through the first film is refreshing. While she starts as a very unlikable person, her growth through that film sets her up in a unique position for the sequel. Questions of fate and serendipity abound for her as she finds out her friends are now involved in their own time loop. The events that unfold in the sequel push her to the edges, making her ponder if the moves towards being a better person were even worth it.

But, in Happy Death Day 2U, Tree finders herself dealing with more than time loops. Writer/director Christopher Landon attempts to raise the stakes. He presents Tree’s characters with interesting challenges. Along the way, he plays with the concept of guilt. Primarily, Landon is forcing Tree to look at the question of “if you had one more chance with a person, what would you do?”

This extends beyond her inner circle to two characters, one of whom we meet for the first time here. The other is Tree’s roommate Lori (Ruby Modine). If you’ve seen the first film, you know that **SPOILER ALERT** Lori is the one attempting to kill Tree. **END SPOILER ALERT

As Tree makes her way through the events of this film, she starts to notice things are a bit off from her previous experience. This skewed element drives Tree to reckon with her experiences from the first film.

At the core, the story of Tree continues to work for me here. I think Rothe’s performance is great, even when the dialogue or story is questionable.

Does it Succeed?

This is the big question. Where the first film was a simple affair that never really worried about explaining why, much like Groundhog’s Day, Happy Death Day 2U feels the need to be bigger and more complex. And it is in expanding in such ways that film starts to go off rails. The sequel does delve into the “why” of the first film’s time loop. In doing so, the comedy/slasher adds sci-fi into the recipe. And quite frankly, though I had fun, the film tries too hard to have it’s cake and eat it too.

Adding the dynamics of a third genre complicate the film, introducing threads that are forgotten or mishandled by the end. There are also a number of subplots that Tree is involved in, which cause the third act to become quite jumbled with events, set pieces and emotional beats that don’t always work.

The jokes, while coming fast, are hit and miss. The audience in the screening reacted well to some, didn’t bite on some and were rolling for others. It’s never as consistently funny as the original.

With that in mind, Happy Death Day 2U doesn’t pull any punches. It comes with the same defiant attitude that a movie like Deadpool carries. The death sequences this time around up the ante, the story goes to absolutely bonkers places and when they gave Landon a foot, he took miles.

I think it is a lot of fun, and though not as strong as the first, I still had a good time. And it is 100% due to Rothe’s performance as Tree. She is so engaging, and the character has earned so much goodwill, that she’s worth following this story just to see where it goes.

Final Thoughts

Happy Death Day 2U is bigger, more absurd and at times needs to be dialed back and restrained. I don’t know how people will react, and I don’t think audiences will be as kind as they were to Happy Death Day. The sequel has problems, and honestly, probably doesn’t need to be seen on the big screen.

If you’re a big fan of the first, you’ll have to adjust expectations. The sequel goes to weird places that don’t always make sense. It gets too cute. Too much occurs through the middle and finale.

Honestly, I would have a hard time defending it. The humor is hit or miss, but I love watching Tree navigate these two films. And, if nothing else, the story has piqued my interest as to what and whether a third part will materialize. I suppose time and the box office will tell, but I’m thinking there’s something in the works.

At the end of the day though, I’ll probably wind up watching this on repeat.

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