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
