Don't Breathe 2

The first Don’t Breathe was interesting and surprising. The second one is merely morbidly amusing. The best part of the film is its cast and the image of a group of ultra-assholish bad guys. You’ll literally look forward to them dying. The point comprising “who is who and what is he doing” is cleverly (and skilfully) concealed, but after it’s revealed, it seems awkward and over the top. The brutality releasing hatred is enormous, as if we are witnessing the birth of a new “viothriller” (violent thriller) sub-genre. The blind uncle’s abilities in the new setting are laughably metaphysical for viewers capable of at least a bit of thought. But he’s also going to get beat down, so why be surprised? What’s bizarre about the film is the effort at relativization of the boundaries between good and evil, unfortunately in a cheap B-movie kind of way.  **1/2 (18.09.2021)

On its own, Don’t Breathe 2 would be a solid genre addition – well made, bleak, and very gritty for today's genre competition – but I have one major problem with it, namely that it doesn't make sense as a sequel to the excellent first film. In terms of the emotional pretensions related to the strange shift around the character of the villain, or this time (anti-)hero, it would make sense as a prequel, but as a sequel it just doesn't. (04.09.2021)

Blind tough guy Stephen Lang has improved since last time and now he's kicking ass for the good guys, and he has to beat, choke, chop up and otherwise murder a bunch of drug dealers who kidnapped a girl he cares about. Don’t Breathe 2 is less ambitious than the first film and is basically a rather impressive, atmospheric and bloody slasher with an unexpectedly unpleasant atmosphere, but nothing more. If that's enough for you, you'll be satisfied, because rookie director Rodo Sayagues has mastered his craft. Any greater ambition, however, was clearly not on the set. (06.09.2021)

Don't Breathe 2 is a bit of a pointless sequel that nobody needed, but luckily it came out in a time of a horror drought, and I welcome a technically superior film with open arms, though without Fede Alvarez's style, it doesn't work as well as it should. It was a bit bothered that the first half is very similar to the first film, another home invasion, where instead of robbing Stephen Lang they go after his adopted daughter, but the flow is pretty similar. The twist in the second half is quite interesting, it has a bit of an exploitation feel to it, but the downside for me is the action. Lang just doesn't suit me as a tough blind man (when I compare it to what Jason Momoa does in See, Lang is more of a minion than a boss), and also the lack of any significant carnage – three gore scenes out of a possible fifteen is really not enough, and shooting four opponents in three seconds like that is a downright waste of good material. The film is definitely worth seeing. Don't Breathe 2 is definitely one of the better films in the last month, but it didn't blow me away or entertain me as much as I had hoped. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 3/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Tension 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 6.5/10. (10.09.2021)

Blind Grandpa’s back after five years, and I honestly wasn’t looking forward to his comeback. In fact, I rated the first film very highly and was very apprehensive about the sequel, as I was expecting a severe drop in quality. Well, I wasn’t wrong, but I expected much worse. Grandpa was less demonic this time and compared to the parade of misfits, he almost seemed like a good guy. The story felt weaker, the filmmakers didn't avoid moments where logic was a nuisance, but they managed to salvage the situation with well-handled action and a decent in-depth examination of the human anatomy. 4* (04.10.2021)