The Wrath of Becky

Becky was a revelation. It was like Home Alone on crystal meth. There was an emotional journey amidst the blood-soaked carnage in Becky. And there were some truly wild, inventive, psychotic kills. The Wrath Of Becky doesn’t really have either of those. That’s not to say it isn’t a fun watch, but it’s missing a spark the original had in spades. Becky is too hardened here. There is no evolution of her character. The movie races through the plot at breathtaking speed; the runtime, including credits, is a scant 83 minutes, so there is no filler and no time wasted, but there’s also no time spent letting things breathe. Even the kills, by comparison, lack either the visual or emotional visceral feeling of the kills in the first. This feels like a bridge movie to get to the third movie the closing minutes set up. So, it’s entirely possible for someone to walk away from this feeling like they didn’t get their money’s worth, and I wouldn’t argue that. That doesn’t make this a bad movie. It’s still a lot of fun seeing Becky do her thing. Sure, the set up is a little weak (more revenge, and a kidnapped dog), but it’s got energy, and Lulu Wilson commands the screen like a boss. In another “cast a comedy guy as a total evil bastard” movie, Seann William Scott (Stifler from American Pie) is the main antagonist, and he does a damned good job. The movie may lean into the cheese a little more than the first, but the premise so bonkers, who cares. Really, the movie doesn’t have faults per se on its own. It’s only in comparison to the first that a viewer is liable to find it not as fulfilling. It’s still an easy recommendation, though, and the set-up for Becky III will definitely hook one’s curiosity.