Happy Death Day 2U

Groundhog Day met Scream in 2017's smart, tongue-in-shriek slasher-thon Happy Death Day. The original film's combination of low budget and lush box-office returns means they inevitably meet again in this underwhelming sequel. Jessica Rothe reprises her starring role as Tree Gelbman, the college kid caught up in a killer time loop and destined to die daily until enough clues are accrued to unmask and thwart her murderer. This time, though, it's a fellow student who opens the lethal loop, while it's the luckless Tree who continues to get sucked into a parallel dimension of death, doubles and different life pathways. It's a given that movie sequels rarely match their originals, but, by a country mile, 2U doesn't either. It's less focused, less frightening and far less fun. It's also essential to watch the first film, too, otherwise this 2019 iteration will make even less sense. Disappointing and not really necessary.