Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

[Lady Calypso]

So, I just got back from watching this sequel to Happy Death Day and left the theater feeling mostly satisfied. It was a lot of fun to watch and Jessica Rothe did an even better job in this film than the first. Tree is such a fascinating main character and they gave her some excellent material to work with. 

I like the exploration into multiverses and parallel universes. I liked getting some answers to the first film and the time loop. I liked seeing Tree's alternate universe. I loved the twists that came along with that new universe. 

I think the biggest issue I had with the film was leaving the theater, feeling like I didn't really get WHY Tree couldn't stick around in her new alternate universe. I know logically that she couldn't stay and she had a fantastic goodbye scene at her lunch that kind of explained why, but I didn't feel satisfied with how they dealt with it. All I could think was how that alt universe was overall better for Tree and she could actually have it all. I mean, the choice she was talking about became moot with the last few seconds of her time in the alt universe with Carter. 

I'll admit the beginning of the film was slow. Once Tree and Carter got involved, it picked up. I didn't find Ryan as compelling of a character when he was thrust into the temporary main lead role. I was just wishing for Tree to show up and get involved.

Overall, I thought it was still a solid movie. 

[BetterButter]

[bettername2come]

They wasted an important opportunity to actually use “In Da Club” this time as part of the lead up to realizing it’s not her universe. I was hoping this would have it, that maybe they’d have a bigger budget this time, but no, they still used that annoying ringtone.

I love Carter. He’s just a nice, decent guy who tries to protect people. I loved the “she’s not my girlfriend, wait are you my girlfriend?” moment.

I liked the continued character development for Tree. Having to let her mom go because that’s not her real mom was a nice moment and the elements of forgiveness in saving Alt-Lori.

I got a strong Scream 3 vibe with the extra explanation and reason for the original. I look forward to a potential sequel where Ryan really did screw everything up for the worse. 

The after-credits sequence was interesting, but implying Tree would want Danielle trapped in a time loop of death seemed like a huge step back in character development.

[Bort]

I loved the movie, maybe even more than the first one. I laughed through the whole thing.

16 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I think the biggest issue I had with the film was leaving the theater, feeling like I didn't really get WHY Tree couldn't stick around in her new alternate universe. I know logically that she couldn't stay and she had a fantastic goodbye scene at her lunch that kind of explained why, but I didn't feel satisfied with how they dealt with it. All I could think was how that alt universe was overall better for Tree and she could actually have it all. I mean, the choice she was talking about became moot with the last few seconds of her time in the alt universe with Carter. 

I think it was the car ride, when her mom was trying to prompt a memory Tree didn't have. It's a life that isn't really hers. The conversation she had with Carter is what really drove the point home: the pain and loss she's experienced is what makes her who she is.

[kitmerlot1213]

19 hours ago, bettername2come said:

I got a strong Scream 3 vibe with the extra explanation and reason for the original. I look forward to a potential sequel where Ryan really did screw everything up for the worse. 

The after-credits sequence was interesting, but implying Tree would want Danielle trapped in a time loop of death seemed like a huge step back in character development.

Having a third sequel would be rather cool but then I'd worry that the constant dying scenes would start to play out.

And I think Danielle's being in the time loop is just an experiment on the government's part and that it won't last forever, probably only a day or two.

That being said, I thought this was a very clever sequel especially with Tree's having to realize that she actually wasn't living her life, but another version of her and that the suffering she went through made her the better person she'd become.  Nice 🙂

[jewel21]

I really enjoyed this, I saw it yesterday with my cousin. We both laughed and found it really satisfying. I also think we both have girl crushes on Jessica Rothe, heh. 

The writers did a great job with a sequel and tying things in with the first movie. For example, how the blackout in in the first movie was of a result of Ryan and his experiment. 

I'm so happy everyone was back for the sequel and loved the alt universe. Also, Jessica R. does such a great job playing mad. Watching Tree clomping around the quad in her heels cracked me up so much. She reminded me of a pissed off horse for some reason, heh.  And I liked how they changed up the killers in this one to keep us guessing. 

I definitely need to buy this movie when it comes out.

[Bort]

28 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

Watching Tree clomping around the quad in her heels cracked me up so much.

OMG, when Tree woke up repeating her birthday again and was growling her way through the same old queues, I was dying. Especially when she stomped up to her stalker and yelled, "YOU'RE GAY!"

[jewel21]

18 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

OMG, when Tree woke up repeating her birthday again and was growling her way through the same old queues, I was dying. Especially when she stomped up to her stalker and yelled, "YOU'RE GAY!"

Yes!!  And when she was drinking that blue slushy and watching Danielle and Carter making out? Haha, her expression was priceless!

[Lazlo]

I loved it.

I think in some respects the first movie was better. The technobabble left me cold - I prefer the Groundhog Day-style lack of an explanation in the first flick more enjoyable and I have to admit I like the implied mystical aspect of the original more than the solidly sci-fi nature of the sequel. Still I think the multiverse angle gave them a lot to play with.

Jessica Rothe is brilliant; just a great hand at comedy, action, romance and real emotion. Quite honestly I think she gave a better performance than most of the Best and Supporting Oscar nominees this year. I'm amazed how emotionally invested I got in Tree and how much I was rooting for her and Carter. I even got a little teary at her conversations with Alternate Timeline!Lori and with her mother.

I know the film played Danielle really broadly but I found her a lot of fun, especially the Alternate Timeline version. It was neat watching someone so self absorbed and dim trying to be nice.  I do have to think she isn't trapped there for a long time, since I don't think Tree is that cruel.

I've heard the box office isn't stellar which makes me sad, but I've read these films are very cheap so we still might get a third one. I hope so!

[methodwriter85]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:13 PM, bettername2come said:

I liked the continued character development for Tree. Having to let her mom go because that’s not her real mom was a nice moment and the elements of forgiveness in saving Alt-Lori.

Yeah, I just read this really good book called Dark Matter by Blake Crounch that explores multiverse narrative and it's pretty interesting. The conclusion is that you and a "double" aren't the same person, even if you were up to a month ago before splitting off, because you are the sum total of your life choices and events.  Applying it to here, Tree realized that this woman, as much as she looks and sounds and has memories like her mother, isn't her mother.  Her mother died when she was like 15 or whatever. This life isn't our Tree's life. It's another life. Even if it's mostly nicer, she realizes she wants her actual life.

Edited February 18, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Lazlo]

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah, I just read this really good book called Dark Matter by Blake Crounch that explores multiverse narrative and it's pretty interesting. The conclusion is that you and a "double" aren't the same person, even if you were up to a month ago before splitting off, because you are the sum total of your life choices and events.  Applying it to here, Tree realized that this woman, as much as she looks and sounds and has memories like her mother, isn't her mother.  Her mother died when she was like 15 or whatever. This life isn't our Tree's life. It's another life. Even if it's mostly nicer, she realizes she wants her actual life.

Yeah, that was what I took from the film too. There was a really heartbreaking moment where Tree realised the happy memory her mother was sharing simply hadn't happened to her.

I do wish the film had explained what happened to the Tree from the alternate dimension. I assume she was thrown back into the 'right' place but I think I'd have liked to hear a line from Ryan or one of the others on that.

[Racj82]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:13 PM, bettername2come said:

They wasted an important opportunity to actually use “In Da Club” this time as part of the lead up to realizing it’s not her universe. I was hoping this would have it, that maybe they’d have a bigger budget this time, but no, they still used that annoying ringtone.

I love Carter. He’s just a nice, decent guy who tries to protect people. I loved the “she’s not my girlfriend, wait are you my girlfriend?” moment.

I liked the continued character development for Tree. Having to let her mom go because that’s not her real mom was a nice moment and the elements of forgiveness in saving Alt-Lori.

I got a strong Scream 3 vibe with the extra explanation and reason for the original. I look forward to a potential sequel where Ryan really did screw everything up for the worse. 

The after-credits sequence was interesting, but implying Tree would want Danielle trapped in a time loop of death seemed like a huge step back in character development.

They are never going to play in da club in the movie. Ever. They don't have the budget to pay for the song in the movie. They can only afford it for the trailer. Blumhouse would have to Shell out the money for it and they won't .

[methodwriter85]

Probably a good thing they didn't, because the box office for this is pretty mediocre and they probably never would have recouped the costs at the rate this movie's b.o. is going.

[Lazlo]

12 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Probably a good thing they didn't, because the box office for this is pretty mediocre and they probably never would have recouped the costs at the rate this movie's b.o. is going.

Yeah, and I'm gutted. I would have love to see a third movie just to see if they switched genres again.  😞

[Silver Raven]

It's too bad they're pretty much locked into using Israel Broussard in this franchise, since he's turned into such a douche in real life. His Twitter feed is toxic.

[methodwriter85]

On 3/9/2019 at 7:37 PM, Silver Raven said:

It's too bad they're pretty much locked into using Israel Broussard in this franchise, since he's turned into such a douche in real life. His Twitter feed is toxic.

I wonder if that might have some kind of factor to do with why the box office for this was has been so "meh", but I think it's mainly because it's obvious this time around you're getting a comedy instead of a horror movie.

It doesn't look like a third movie is happening in any event. This movie looks like it might stop just short of 30 million. 

I think they made "Tim" wear a wig in this movie because I re-watched the first movie and his hair doesn't look close to the same- I think Caleb Spillyards grew his hair out and wasn't willing to cut it for a part that he didn't even have speaking lines in. I also noticed that we didn't get a close up of the frat hazing boys probably because they couldn't assemble all the same guys. I'm kind of surprised at how many of the bit part extras and small role actors they DID get back.

[Bort]

18 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I wonder if that might have some kind of factor to do with why the box office for this was has been so "meh", but I think it's mainly because it's obvious this time around you're getting a comedy instead of a horror movie.

You wouldn't know it from the trailers that ran before the movie. Almost all horror movies. The only non-horror movie trailers I saw was for Captain Marvel and that X-Men movie. In fact, I had tried to get my cousin to go see it with me and she refused on the basis that she doesn't like scary movies. I tried to convince her that this wasn't a horror movie but it was a fruitless effort.

[Lazlo]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

You wouldn't know it from the trailers that ran before the movie. Almost all horror movies. The only non-horror movie trailers I saw was for Captain Marvel and that X-Men movie. In fact, I had tried to get my cousin to go see it with me and she refused on the basis that she doesn't like scary movies. I tried to convince her that this wasn't a horror movie but it was a fruitless effort.

I have to agree that I think the marketing might have made a mistake focusing on the horror trappings when this was really more of a sci-fi romcom if anything. In fact I'd put the horror episodes third or even fourth behind the comedy, Tree's emotional arc and the sci-fi stuff. 

[snickers]

I think it is a combo of the marketing, and releasing this Valentine's day instead of Halloween like they did the first time.

Obviously it was a mistake.

I liked the movie a lot, still think the first one was the better movie, but for a sequel it was pretty good, and at least it explains the why behind the plot.  I think had they put more horror in maybe it would have done better, but maybe not?

I've always like the horror/comedy of this series-I think it's why it was such a huge hit.

On 3/13/2019 at 7:02 PM, methodwriter85 said:

On 3/9/2019 at 7:37 PM, Silver Raven said:

It's too bad they're pretty much locked into using Israel Broussard in this franchise, since he's turned into such a douche in real life. His Twitter feed is toxic.

I wonder if that might have some kind of factor to do with why the box office for this was has been so "meh", but I think it's mainly because it's obvious this time around you're getting a comedy instead of a horror movie.

Yeah, I don't think most people know anything about his twitter feed (which I refuse to do twitter to keep sane so I don't know what it says but I've heard about it) but here's a question, is his feed keeping him from getting work? I was the under the impression it wasn't, because he is a C level actor anyway right?

Be nice if they wrapped this up with a 3rd movie but I am not holding my breath 😄

[Silver Raven]

32 minutes ago, snickers said:

I think it is a combo of the marketing, and releasing this Valentine's day instead of Halloween like they did the first time.

Obviously it was a mistake.

I liked the movie a lot, still think the first one was the better movie, but for a sequel it was pretty good, and at least it explains the why behind the plot.  I think had they put more horror in maybe it would have done better, but maybe not?

I've always like the horror/comedy of this series-I think it's why it was such a huge hit.

Yeah, I don't think most people know anything about his twitter feed (which I refuse to do twitter to keep sane so I don't know what it says but I've heard about it) but here's a question, is his feed keeping him from getting work? I was the under the impression it wasn't, because he is a C level actor anyway right?

Be nice if they wrapped this up with a 3rd movie but I am not holding my breath 😄

imdb doesn't show him having any other work in progress.

[Bort]

I figured he was a local hire, based on the New Orleans film location and his last name. You can’t swing a dead cat in Louisiana without hitting someone named Broussard. It’s a very common name there.

[methodwriter85]

26 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I figured he was a local hire, based on the New Orleans film location and his last name. You can’t swing a dead cat in Louisiana without hitting someone named Broussard. It’s a very common name there.

He is from the Gulf Coast. When it came to his Twitter feed outrage, I thought, "Wait, you guys are shocked that a guy who was raised in the Bible Belt would be conservative?"

Quote

imdb doesn't show him having any other work in progress.

He pretty much effectively killed his chances at Netflix picking him up for more movies, at least in the teen genre. Although he still has his followers on Instagram so who knows.

I really hope Jessica Rothe will get more work especially since it looks like she won't be tied down to this dead-in-the-water franchise. Again, it is such a shame that this sequel didn't do well, because I really did enjoy it and I loved the Back to the Future 2 references.

I'm also rooting for Rachel Matthews because she really was hilarious. I'd love to see her play a spoiled debutante in something. Maybe she can play Olivia Jade in the inevitable Lifetime movie biopic?

Edited March 16, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Cranberry]

I loved the first one, and I thought this one was almost as good. At one point, maybe 3/4 of the way through the movie, I realized that I had no idea how long I'd been watching and that I'd happily watch Tree navigate alternate realities all day. I wish they'd had time to do a little more with that, but I understand why they stuck mostly to one reality where her mom was alive and Carter was with someone else. The ending, with her deciding to return to her real timeline even though it meant losing her mom (and even though she could have had Carter) made sense because she truly didn't belong there; all the memories these people had of her weren't really of her. I thought the movie balanced humor and pathos well. I'm disappointed this may be the end of the line.

[Lazlo]

On 3/16/2019 at 4:51 AM, methodwriter85 said:

He is from the Gulf Coast. When it came to his Twitter feed outrage, I thought, "Wait, you guys are shocked that a guy who was raised in the Bible Belt would be conservative?"

He pretty much effectively killed his chances at Netflix picking him up for more movies, at least in the teen genre. Although he still has his followers on Instagram so who knows.

I really hope Jessica Rothe will get more work especially since it looks like she won't be tied down to this dead-in-the-water franchise. Again, it is such a shame that this sequel didn't do well, because I really did enjoy it and I loved the Back to the Future 2 references.

I'm also rooting for Rachel Matthews because she really was hilarious. I'd love to see her play a spoiled debutante in something. Maybe she can play Olivia Jade in the inevitable Lifetime movie biopic?

I assumed Israel Broussard was Jewish based on that first name. Is he Born Again? I never read Twitter.

I also Jessica Rothe and Rachel Matthews do well. 

[Bort]

40 minutes ago, Lazlo said:

I assumed Israel Broussard was Jewish based on that first name. Is he Born Again? I never read Twitter.

If he's indeed a local Louisiana native, he's most likely Catholic. I don't think the first name means anything.