Happy Death Day 2U is an example of movie making the best out of a bad situation. Taking The Groundhog Day premise and applying it the horror genre had already been done. So might as well bypass the seriousness of the situation and make it more funny and knowing, which the first Happy Death Day did. 2U just expands on the story of the first one, making more ridiculous and more meta jokes while doubling the killers, universes, etc.
The first Happy Death Day is about Tree Gelbmann (Jessica Rothe) and her never ending nightmare of a birthday, waking up in her boy toy Carter’s (Israel Broussard) bed every morning. 2U opens with Carter’s roommate Ryan (Phi Vu), who had been building a device that – and you’ll be SHOCKED to find this out – opens up multiple dimensions. Since Tree knows a little something about the effects of messing with multiple dimensions, she tries to help Ryan use the device to close the time loops. Instead, she gets transported back to the events of the first film, where Tree now has to deal with a crazy killer at least she knows about. However, things in this dimension are a little off compared to the day she’d gotten used to.
Look, this plot is really stupid: it relies heavily on electronic devices and science it clearly has no interest in explaining. I was at least hoping the writers would call the thing the “Plot device,” but alas, it was not to be. That doesn’t mean the rest of the movie is stupid. 2U ignores the stakes and story of the first Happy Death Day in favor of developing its lead and building a story around her, because Jessica Rothe has that “it” factor everyone talks about. 2U shows the acting range Rothe has which allows her to carry this franchise. She has so much fun going apesh*t when she ends up back in the time loop, freaking out on everyone in the quad, or willingly killing herself to help close the time loop. She proves how badass she can be, plunging herself bodyfirst into the hospital she knows contains at least one serial killer. More importantly she finds an emotional – yes, emotional – connection to the story. The first movie establishes that the death of Jessica’s mother is clearly a motivator for the woman Tree becomes today. Through the multiverse though, Tree ends up in a timeline where her mother is alive and well, forcing her to decide where she wants to end up, which become the focal point of the movie. I was much more interested in Jessica’s decision than any of the plot mechanics of the movie, a testament to Rothe’s commitment and some adept character writing and montages in the face of plot absurdity.
You don’t agree to see Happy Death Day 2U without knowing you’ll be laughing at least a little, no matter how serious the writers might want you to take the material. By finding a decent balance of humor and horror and rotating the story around Jessica Rothe and not the plot devices, Happy Death Day 2U is an enjoyable escape that will give you what it is promising. Most importantly, I’m going to eagerly follow Jessica Rothe’s career and hope these movies provide a launching pad for her into superstardom.