Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.
Having barely escaped from her nuptials alive, poor old “Grace” (Samara Weaving) finds her recovery in hospital brought to quite a violent end. It seems that the fraternity that had assumed she would be eliminated by their previous game of hide and seek is now having to fill a gap in the upper echelons of it’s leadership. Unfortunately for her estranged sister “Faith” (Kathryn Newton), she was still listed as her emergency contact and so she, too, is soon embroiled in the next stage of this recruitment process. Under the supervision of lawyer-cum-master of ceremonies (Elijah Wood) they are offered the opportunity to take over the whole shooting match - but only if they can survive the hunting process that is now going to ensue at a swanky golf course owned by the squabbling “Danforth” siblings “Ursula” (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and “Titus” (Shawn Hatosy). I know Mark Twain thought golf a waste of a decent walk, but I think he might have preferred it to what comes next as the two women have to un-handcuff themselves and then survive attacks by machete, rifle, pistol and even the axe - and, of course, they prove no slouches when it comes to weaponising a tumble dryer or even a marriage proposal as they try to survive. This doesn’t start off so great, but once the scene is set and we’ve met the hunted and the hunters, this turns into quite an entertaining film with plenty of ketchup, some spontaneous combustion and plenty of gory-looking action as we head to a conclusion that maybe isn’t so big on jeopardy, but that is still suitably messy and suggests maybe there could be room for a third. This isn’t especially innovative, no, but unlike many others in the genre it isn’t trying to be. You can see it as a sequel or just as a stand-alone comedy slasher that has it’s tongue in it’s cheek and that is simply out to make you smile now and again, and both Weaver and Newton look like they are having some fun. You will probably never recall it - I certainly didn’t remember the first one from 2019, but I did quite enjoy it in the end.
Fun time at the movies for sure and Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton are good together, but this does pale in comparison to the first as that film's final 5 minutes and its twist was fantastic, though everything leading up to it was also great as well. But with that twist, this one loses some of the luster and the writing was weaker. Yet still I was entertained and some of the fight scenes were great. It's also nice seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar in a prominent role. **3.5/5**
