Review: Happy Death Day 2U

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.

If the original horror-comedy hybrid film "Happy Death Day" borrowed heavily from "Groundhog Day," then this sequel is a riff on "Back to the Future Part II" - so much so, in fact, that two characters in the movie make a point of referencing it in case there was ever any doubt.

While the first film was a mostly fun, tongue in cheek slasher film with a protagonist for whom you could root, the sequel is more of a science fiction picture with some mushy family drama in the mix. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it - it's fun enough, but the film bites off a little more than it can chew narratively and feels less like a horror movie than the original.

Rather than attempt to explain the science that makes the story possible, suffice it to say that the movie kicks off with a different character - this time, Ryan (Phi Vu), roommate of Carter (Israel Broussard), who is the boyfriend of Tree (Jessica Rothe) - finding himself stuck in the time loop.

However, the picture quickly provides an explanation for the conundrum. As it turns out, Ryan and several of his brainy pals created a science project involving time loops that resulted in Tree reliving the same day over and over. On the other hand, it doesn't explain why Tree, but none of the other students on her school's campus, was caught in the loop.

Regardless, Ryan manages to escape the loop, but accidentally forces Tree back into it. This time, however, much less time is spent on figuring out the mystery and battling the baby-masked killer - who isn't the same murderer from the original film - and more is spent on Tree realizing that she should cherish the time she has with those she cares about. There's a plot twist involving a different dimension and a particular character who Tree runs into there, but I won't give it away.

"Happy Death Day 2U" mostly thrives as a comedy with a sci-fi thread and a few jump scares, rather than as a full-fledged slasher sequel. It's a sequel that probably didn't need to exist, but it's a step above the typical cash grab follow ups that typically play the same note over and over - which is amusing to consider since the film's protagonists relive the same day multiple times. The film falls short of the original, but as far as follow-ups go, you could do much worse.