- Date of Release: 13 August 2021
- Genre: Horror, Thriller, Action
- Language: English
- Watch On: Only Theatres
Don't Breathe 2
RATING
Introduction
There is really something about the sequels. An important observation which you may have noticed too is that if a low or medium budget film gains popularity then there is an added pressure from everyone to further milk on the success and make a sequel. And what that does is that the focus shifts from working on the story to just churning out a sequel for the heck of it. This is when most filmmakers falter. Make no mistake, there have been some amazing sequels as well be like Dhoom 2 or Lage Raho Munnabhai or the more recently released Drishyam 2. But more often than not the sequel fails to live up to the expectations. Hollywood too has been guilty of it be it the Fast And Furious Series or The Conjuring series. Mostly it is the first film in the series which scores and scores well. And so with that I finished watching Don’t Breathe 2 which is a sequel to the pathbreaking Don’t Breathe which I really loved. Is this sequel worth your time, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Set 8 years after the original event, Don’t Breathe 2 follows the story of Norman who lives isolated with his daughter till a group of gangsters disrupt his life. The story is ordinary here and lacks the bite of the original. I remember while watching the original, there was ample amount if tension created such that I as an audience member was holding my breath in anticipation of things to come. This very essence is missing in this needless sequel. The story is more of an action thriller as opposed to horror which was the original theme. The screenplay here is engaging but only in bits. To give you a perspective, you can be distracted with other things with this film playing in the background. And you will be able to catch up with the drama as well. Additionally, the screenplay doesn’t have any logic to it either. While the first 40 minures are a steady buildup, the action scenes do not really make a very big inpact. These are standard action sequences which you may have either seen below or just lack the required amount of tension. The action scenes are definitely gory with ample use of blood which works in its favour. The second half again slows the pace and leaves you disinterested up until the climax which is lukewarm. The screenplay is not a mess completely though with a few decently well written scenes that hold your attention. But overall, it is the writing that has been compromised at the expense of the sequel.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are decently well penned. The BGM is just about ok and definitely not memorable. The camerawork is good here and so is the editing. Keeping the length of the film to under 100 minutes was a big positive here, the drama did not linger on. Director Rodo Sayagues has done a decent job here but still the direction lacks the skills in building up the tension as in the original.
Performances
The performances are pretty good. Brendan Sexton as Raylan has done a good job here. The little girl Madelyn Grace as Phoenix reay has a good presence onscreen and definitely does a fine job. Stephen Lang as The Blind Man has again done a great job except for the fact that I did not enjoy him being the protagonist here as opposed to the tension he was able to create as an antagonist in the first film. But overall a good job done.
Conclusion
Dont Breathe 2 lacks logic and is a needless sequel to the original. But it is decently watchable too. Watch it if you must!