Don't Breathe 2

Der erste Film war überraschend und interessant. Der zweite Film ist nur auf eine morbide Art und Weise unterhaltsam. Das Beste ist hier das Casting und das Image der Ultra-Schurken. Man freut sich darauf, dass sie sterben werden. Die Pointe "wer ist wer und was will er" wird raffiniert (und gelungen) geheim gehalten. Nach der Enthüllung wirkt sie aber verlegen, sie ist an den Haaren herbeigezogen. Die Brutalität, die durch den Hass ausgelöst wird, ist enorm. Als ob ein neues Subgenre entstehen würde – "Viothriller" (violent thriller). Über die metaphysischen Fähigkeiten des blinden Onkels in einem neuen Milieu muss ein Zuschauer, der zumindest ein wenig nachdenkt, schmunzeln. Er bekommt aber auch Prügel. Warum sollte man sich also wundern, nicht wahr? Die Relativierung der Grenzen zwischen dem Guten und dem Bösen ist bizarr – leider auf eine zweitklassige Art und Weise. **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)