User reviews

Sometimes it's better not knowing how the sausage is made. The first Happy Death Day was a fun little slasher flick that never took itself too seriously and was thoroughly entertaining for what it was. The sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, tried to provide explanation to the phenomenon that befell Tree in the first film. It all involves a science project gone wrong and a bunch of time-looping sci-fi mumbo jumbo that isn't nearly as smart as the movie thinks it is. This should be a franchise where you can just turn your brain off and have a good time. Instead, 2U wants the audience to think. That's the big mistake. Most of the "science" stuff makes little to no sense, and making us think about it only makes us realize how convoluted a mess this story is. I won't even get into the eye-roll worthy plot conveniences that have to exist for the film to even move forward in some spots.

Another issue is this isn't a horror movie. There may be a couple short scenes that lend themselves to horror, but this is much more so a sci-fi story, a far cry from what we started with in the first movie. Also, the movie reaches a satisfying ending place, but then decides to not end there and throws in a ridiculous "heist" movie at the end. Why not? We're already watching a horror-comedy-scifi-romcom?

Now, it's not all bad. The movie does keep moving at a steady pace and most of the characters are entertaining (even if they aren't particularly engaging). The sub-plot about Tree's mom feels genuinely heart-felt and gives the movie a little emotional weight. There's plenty of decent laughs throughout. And, as in the first film, Jessica Rothe seems to be having a ball in the lead role. There's also a mid-credits scene to suggest we're gonna expand this universe even more. And while I'll welcome a third movie in this fun franchise, I wish the writers would understand that more isn't necessarily better. Sometimes keeping it simple is best. 6/10

Unfortunately this movie is not as good as the first one. I really enjoyed the first one but this one is nowhere near as entertaining. I am shocked how its rating is almost the same as the first movie.

Loved the first movie because the actors did a fantastic job meshing slasher and comedy. This sequel, while not as intense as the first, still was highly entertaining. It's not Citizen Kane, but this genre isn't supposed to be. The acting again made me laugh all the way to the very end while still holding the "who is the killer?!" suspense with all the alternate realities.

The actors make these movie-especially the lead actress. The cast are believable in an unbelievable setting and blend well together.

It's a fun popcorn movie for sure.

(Quickie Review.) I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the first Happy Death Day and while I didn't think it needed a sequel at all, period, end of story, here we are. And it was surprisingly very good! I can see why it wasn't a hit: it changed from a self-aware horror-comedy to outright comedy-sci-fi. Not sure if that's part of the profitable sequel playbook, but it worked for me. I had a blast here. Now, it's not perfect and kept running in circles when ideas ran out, but the characters, direction and dialogue was so rich and fun for me, I was fully invested. That all said, I would highly recommend the original slasher comedy more than this one, but it's kind of a nice add-on to see this one and where it took the original story's Groundhog Day dilemma.

I was stupidly excited for the first movie only to be a little disappointed, it was good but didn't live up to its potential. A sequel I thought!? How could they possibly do that? And except from a financial standpoint why would they?

Rumored to be the second of a trilogy, I'm sad to say that the first thing that comes to mind after watching it is that it's a blatant cashgrab. The first movie made them a shed load of money so they felt obligated to make a sequel and rushed it out without little care and attention.

Following on straight from the first film we see another time loop and Tree once again investigating why it's happening. Honestly, I struggled to get behind the plot this time as I deemed it pretty pathetic by comparison.

Happy Death Day 2U though a huge disappointment and mindless cashgrab isn't a bad film, it's just poor compared to the first and clearly rushed out to capitalize on the popularity of the original.

If they're going to make a third I'd suggest they give it additional time, better writers and entirely go back to the drawing board because this was messy.

The Good:

Jessica Rothe

Nice follow on

Some funny moments

The Bad:

Considerably weaker writing

Blatant cashgrab

Directed by Christopher Landon. Starring Jesssica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu, Rachel Matthews, Suraj Sharma, Sarah Yarkin, Ruby Modine, Steve Zissis, Missy Yager, Jason Bayle, Charles Aitken . (PG-13)

Follow-up to the no-great-shakes but surprisingly watchable "Happy Death Day" all but slashes away the (tepid) horror aspect of the original in favor of an even more blatant comedic bent with science fiction components thrown in for good measure (time loops, parallel dimensions, etc.). In fact, the "Babyface" killer element is pushed aside so much, don't be surprised if you occasionally forget that he/she is a part of the story at all. This time around, Tree (yep, that's still her nickname) lives, dies, and repeats ad nauseum in a different dimension, though she is no longer the target of the cherubic sociopath (whose identity revelation makes no sense). As it was in the original, Jessica Rothe delivers an assured and enjoyable performance, even managing to stick the landing during an emotional scene or two; also like the original, the supporting cast does little more than carry the load and deliver the occasional quip. Best watched with modest expectations and (because of recap references galore) a familiarity of the first episode fresh in mind.

58/100

There was some promise shown in this movie in the first few minutes of the film. However it complicated and confused itself very quickly. Its not as good as the first film and manges to make the story even less appealing. It does somewhat tie into the first movie but not really enough to Warrent its existence. It feels like happy death day 1.5.

Happy Death Day wasn't my favourite movie from 2017 but it was in my top 10 and it qualified as the biggest surprise of that year for me. It was a solid slasher movie with a lot of funny material and a unique take on the time loop concept. The trailers for Happy Death Day 2U didn't deter me from seeing it but it looked like they could be repeating the successful formula from the first one. What may be the most surprising part of Happy Death Day 2U is the fact that other than providing a recap of the first movie, so little of it is recycled. This isn't a horror movie, its a science fiction/comedy mashup with horror and romance elements thrown in. It not only works but it works so well that it rivals the first one in execution for me. They broaden the scope of the movie and it switches genres. I can't think of another sequel (I'm sure there has been somewhere, I just can't think of one off the top of my head) that boldly chooses to go in a completely different direction. It not only makes that choice but it succeeds at it completely. The best part is that 2U is that while it is inventive, it retains a lot of what worked previously. The sense of humour carries over and there's more than enough funny material to go around. I laughed a lot throughout it was key that they kept things light to keep the pace up.

The movie choosing to change things up was the biggest surprise but the wonderful development of the characters was just as impressive. Tree's development into being a better person was a highlight of the original Happy Death Day, it added an interesting dynamic to the story. Tree continues to grow (no pun intended) and I have to hand it to writer/director Christopher Landon for developing the characters further with new aspects without just repeating the same arc. With Tree facing the same scenario but with many changes, the characters are the same yet completely different and it keeps things intriguing. While 2U was funny there were also some emotional moments that were very heartfelt. I liked how the original included the evolution of Tree's relationship with her dad, they double down on that in this one with the surprise inclusion of someone from Tree's past. The genuine joy that comes out of that realization for Tree and the pain that it causes later had a lot of pathos that you wouldn't expect from this type of movie

Jessica Rothe's second performance as Tree is a fantastic work. 2U requires so much varied work from her doing physical comedy to involving drama and she pulls it off handily. She's outstanding here and I really hope she's on her way to bigger things because this is a great follow up performance. Almost the entire supporting cast returns and they all perform capably. Rothe and Israel Broussard still have a lot of chemistry as Tree and Carter, and their relationship has some sweet moments scattered throughout. I liked that they gave both Rachel Matthews and Ruby Modine different things to do as Danielle and Lori. They both were fun to watch. I also thought Phi Vu was better utilized in this movie as Ryan, it was cool that they took a minor character from the first one and expanded on his part. Vu's performance helped make that a solid choice.

I'm sure plenty of people will be complaining about the genre shift and tonal change from the first entry in this potential franchise and while I did have to adjust but it didn't bother me. I only had a few complaints when it comes to this movie. Just like the first one, they border on having too many twists when they're wrapping up. I liked all of them but the movie wants to bring a lot of new elements in at the end and the final 15 minutes feels a little overstuffed. They also jam some of the more juvenile bits of humour in the very beginning and the very end of the movie that can feel a little out of place tonally.

I was a huge fan of the first Happy Death Day and if you made me pick I still think the first one is a better stand alone film. But Happy Death Day 2U is wildly creative, the script is really sharp and Jessica Rothe proves how wonderfully versatile she is in another great lead performance. People always complain about sequels just being carbon copies of the original or that the plot is recycled or how originality in movies is dead. I was blown away by how Landon and his team were unafraid to blaze a different path with the continuation of this potential franchise and give the audience something fresh to chew on. If you're stuck on having another slasher movie, this might not be your cup of tea but I can't recommend this highly enough. If you enjoyed the first one and can keep an open mind, go see Happy Death Day 2U.

I'm a massive fan of the original 'Happy Death Day' film. In fact I rated it a perfect 10 on IMDb. Every aspect of that movie was executed perfectly. It was scary, funny, charming, intriguing, touching and had a killer twist ending to put the cherry on the cupcake. The announcement of a sequel was a surprise to me to be honest. When a film gets everything so right like that one did it is incredibly hard to make a follow-up to the same standard. Plus you risk ruining the reputation that the first film earned. 'Happy Death Day 2U' was a disappointing sequel that will leave a bad taste in the mouth of a lot of fans of the original.

It certainly isn't an appalling film (otherwise I would never have given it a 6 - and I verged on giving it a 7), it just didn't get the balance right this time around. It was far too light-hearted for starters. I loved the humour that first one possessed and I did in this one too, however it just took up too much of the runtime. If people asked me to choose one genre that this film was I would probably have to say comedy. I should be saying horror.

Secondly, the film was so intent on being clever (and being a homage to 'Back to the Future') that it completely forgot to have an interesting plot piece at the centre of the film. The killer angle was almost like an after-thought this time around. Whereas in the original it drove the film and everything else fed off that.

The first film was so good that I didn't want anything to change and taint what was created in that film. I left the cinema this time with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. If a sequel absolutely had to be made I would've preferred completely fresh characters (even though I love the ones that are in these two films) and for them to just do a seperate story. Maybe that wouldn't have worked either (speaking further to my point that a sequel simply wasn't needed) but at least it would have left the original intact. I hear a third addition to the series is on the way. Hopefully they get it right (whatever that means) next time around.

Seen the first film? Of course you have, but if it's not fresh in your mind there could well be moments in this follow up that'll seem a mite confusing. The whole new scientific explanation for the Groundhog Day phenomenon certainly takes a bit of following and a lot of swallowing: the convoluted time travel exposition covered in the first half of the film travels at breakneck speed and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And let's not forget about the overall uneven tone, the film frequently veering from its horror roots into sci-fi and absurd comedy territory. It's quite a departure from the original, and to be quite frank I don't think that it was very successful.

A hot mess of a movie for the most part, the chaos that unfolds is reasonably fun for a while despite the preposterous story developments. Unfortunately, the repetitive nature of the plot eventually takes its toll, and the final act really labours the point, taking its merry time to wrap up proceedings in a not too tidy fashion. The cast are fine and do what they can with the material, but the slapdash script and seemingly random approach taken by director Christopher Landon ultimately makes for a disappointing sequel.

Still, Happy Death Day 2 U is so silly at times that I can see it gathering a cult following, even though, if truth be told, it's not all that good.

The same premise as the first movie with extra moral choices and more of a scientific approach/explanation to the first movie's plot.

First of all, Jessica Rothe did an amazing job in this film. In every scene that she's in you can easily tell she's having fun with the role and giving it her all. She could easily switch from being funny in one scene too serious the next. Everybody else in this movie was good just not great. Now the relationship in this movie is kind of unbelievable like Disney level unbelievable. I mean Tree and Carter had really only been dating for what two to eleven days. I'm sorry but like I said that only happens in Disney movies where the girl falls in love with the guy the moment she meets him and automatically wants to marry him. This film is a horror comedy and in the horror section it's a tiny bit above average but in the comedy department, it was really funny. If you guys have seen the trailer you know that Tree has to kill herself in many different and creative ways and all of them were kinda funny to me at least. Even some of the scenes that others will probably find cringey I found kind of funny because they were cringy. But again I'm a teenager who reviews movies what do you expect. Now the horror element of the film comes and goes throughout the entire thing and is really put on hold for the comedy of the film. It felt kind of like a subplot that the writers forgot even existed until the very end. Even then it felt really weak when it could have been a "killer" move and plot twist if we focused on it a bit more and didn't just glance over it. Also stay after the credits because there is a post-credit scene that gives off a possible sequel for this film. In the end, even if you haven't seen the first movie like me it's still a good and easy film to follow along with. I do wish it was longer though.

Happy Death Day 2U has many similarities to its predecessor. It has the exact same style of humour, the same type of horror, almost an identical list of characters (with a few additions). This is both a blessing and a curse in equal measure.

A blessing because I loved Jessica Rothe as the lead, and the supporting cast were all great in the first film, so getting to spend another hour and a half with them is all good in my book. In addition, I liked the balance they struck in the first film between gentle horror, comedy, and romance, and they manage this pretty well in the follow up.

However these similarities are a curse in that the plot feels very similar. The first was original and fresh and had unique energy and pace to it, but this follow up loses that originality and fails to capture the imagination as a result. We are treated to lots of the same scenarios and plot points of the first film, with a bit more of an added sci-fi element to this one. When they did try and break out of the shadow of the first film and enter into new territory, it felt a little rough and cliche.

I did enjoy the plot and had a good time watching this film, but ultimately I felt like I'd seen it all before and the sequel didn't break new ground enough for my liking.

Overall very enjoyable, and fans of the first will surely have fun watching this. Not as good as Happy Death Day but a very worthy successor.

First part was good but the sequel changes the track completely. Time machine concept and unwanted comic timings in between are added. Acting also sub par . Worst part is the scene after end credits. Avoid if possible

Rating 8.4/10 Surprisingly entertaining !! It definitely worth a watch. This film isn't perfect and is possibly quite unoriginal but it's still tons of fun and puts a fresh twist on the concept. The characters are likable and the humour is brilliant at times. It's just lots of fun and excitement. Very enjoyable !!

I liked it, even though I went in without any preconceive notions. I like the movie I like Jessica Rothe, I liked the fact that she was in the first movie.. granted I never saw the first movie but I was able to follow what the movie was about... It was entertaining spending an hour and 40 minutes no big deal. I like it. If you like fluffy somewhat scary suspense movie this is for you, and also the director is Christopher Landon no other than Michael Landon Son how cool is that!!!... brilliant like his dad... I liked the movie...

Couldn't even finish watching this, the plot changed completely from the first one and spent at least 30% in referencing it. Terrible CGI, horrendous acting, none of the charm or horror from the first, and lazy writing. This could have been done so much better but it was cringey and became a weird sci-fi comedy. Don't waste your time.

Just as the first one, this is not an amazing movie in any way or form, but it is a great fun watch.

In many ways this is a better movie than the original first one, but in some aspects it is not. This movie is more fun, and I laughed out loud several times. I also think the acting is more spot on. The directing and production value is also better in this sequel. But the first one was more focused on the horror aspect and felt more original and had that "freshness" (despite being a bit generic) which this sequel is missing somewhat. In total the two movies are equal to each other

7/10. I highly recommend. Both movies are fun and a good watch. Do not expect masterpieces, just relax and enjoy them for what they are.

In 2017 Happy Death Day came out and looked like most of the other wave of B level horror films. This one used the "Groundhog Day" angle where the main character Tree (Jessica Rothe) had to relive Aug 18 dying at the end of every day to discover her killer and escape the time loop. This trope has been used by countless films and nearly every si-fi series, but it was fun to watch our flustered main character struggle to solve the puzzle.

One of the more unlikely films to have a sequel, Happy Death Day 2U starts seconds after the original, and immediately has a more si-fi/Breakfast club feel, quickly ignoring its more horror roots. This change in mood is fine, as the original was a very light to start.

We quickly explore the origins of the time jump, learn about alternate timelines, get a lesson in hypothetical ethics, and must rediscover the killer.

The cast around Tree is more flushed out, and relationships are expanded. I genuinely like Jessica Rothe and what she brings to the character Tree, and became invested in the highs and lows of her adventures. A minor complaint is that the film does scatter, and although a minor point, some story lines are left unfulfilled by films end.

With that said, this movie isn't high cinema. This film may at times cross to the silly, but there is a lot here to enjoy. It should appeal anyone looking for a light, fun evening. Watch the original first, and cap it off with this enjoyable piece of fun!