Happy Death Day 2U doesn’t make a whole lot of sense though in fairness, they set aside any of the science for the horror and comedy elements where the film does succeed quite well, this also makes for a solid double-header with the first film.
Happy Death Day 2U
(2019)
Genre(s): Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery
Universal Pictures | PG13 – 100 min. – $34.98 | May 14, 2019
Date Published: 05/20/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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In preparation for this review, I finally got around to watching the 2017 surprise hit, Happy Death Day and had a hoot with the melding of Scream with Groundhog Day. It’s not a unique idea doing the reliving everyday plot which has been done countless times since the release of Groundhog Day in 1993 (kind of how the 80s and 90s had their fair share of body switching films), but Happy Death Day was just a whole lot of fun, a breezy-viewing horror film if you will. So with the first movie raking in $125 million worldwide off of the usual Blumhouse low $4.8 million budget, a sequel was inevitable which is how we got Happy Death Day 2U, a movie which might not have as streamline plot compared with the original, in fact I’d say at times it was a bit clunky, and yet I still was highly entertained.
The story opens almost directly following the end of the first film. Tree Gelbman (JESSICA ROTHE) is thrust back into the time loop caused by an experiment headed by Carter’s roommate, Ryan (PHI VU). This time, however, things are different as she’s entered an alternate universe where Carter (ISRAEL BROUSSARD) is dating her fellow sorority sister Danielle (RACHEL MATTHEWS) and her previously deceased mother (MISSY YAGER) is now alive and well. Also alive and well is Lori (RUBY MODINE), the woman Tree had kicked out a window. But now Lori holds no ill will towards Tree after previously attempting to poison her. Also on the loose is the baby face-masked killer… Having the benefit of seeing Happy Death Day 2U right after the first film, perhaps made my viewing experience more pleasurable. For the most part I did enjoy these actors, Jessica Rothe especially, as she has good command of the screen to the point I hope she has the chance to shine beyond the genre. Israel Broussard returns as her love interest though he takes a somewhat of a backseat to the central heart of the film between Tree and her mother as she grapples with the choice of remaining in that alternate universe and keep her mother but give up what could be the love of her life or return back to her reality; the scenes between mother and daughter were well done and helped an otherwise awkward plot.
The plot, as I mentioned, isn’t as smoothly executed compared with the first film. Here, we are introduced (or re-introduced for those familiar) with the idea of the multi-verse (complete with the pencil through a napkin used to explain string theory in Interstellar and Event Horizon) and although it is easy enough to follow thanks to some nonsensical gobbly-gook science, it never quite gelled with the horror-comedy elements that made the first film flow so well. That being said, I never once wasn’t entertained. Christopher Landon returns to the director’s chair and also took over writing duties. Maybe I missed some things, but he and his crew did a good job re-creating certain scenes and sets to match with the first film which does make the movie ever the more fun, again helps watching the first one beforehand.
In the end, Happy Death Day 2U isn’t quite as good as its predecessor and yet I still had a whole lot of fun with the premise, even when the science-fiction elements of the plot came across a bit clunky, but it is saved by the horror and comedic aspects which made it a fun ride. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This release comes with a title-embossed slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Not really a huge selection of bonus material, there’s The Never-Ending Birthday (2:46) a short behind-the-scenes featurette, Web of Love: Tree’s Nightmare (1:33) featurette on the Carter/Danielle romance, Multiverse 101 (2:04) is an introduction to what it is, a singular Deleted Scene (2:15) and a Gag Reel (2:35). Would have liked to have a commentary with the writer-director and cast, but alas. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Universal releases Happy Death Day 2U onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture is fairly bright for a horror-slasher though not surprising given the more light-hearted nature of the story. Colors are pretty vibrant and detail sharp and nicely defined throughout. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is entirely adequate for a movie like this. Dialogue comes through the center channel with fine clarity and there is a restrained amount of depth via the front and rear channels, outputting ambient noises and atmospheric elements as heard in most slasher films. This is not an especially great lossless track but serviceable enough. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
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Happy Death Day 2U doesn’t make a whole lot of sense though in fairness, they set aside any of the science for the horror and comedy elements where the film does succeed quite well, this also makes for a solid double-header with the first film. This Blu-ray release offers up good video/audio transfers however the bonus features were rather thin. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.