I didn’t dislike Happy Death Day 2 U, though like the movie that begat it–the original Happy Death Day (2017)–it’s pretty inconsequential and fluffy.

Though it’s fascinating not for what it does right, but more what it doesn’t: namely the introduction of parallel universes, an idea not present in the first (which dealt with a character caught in one moment of time) and unfortunately not taken to it’s logical conclusion.

Namely that Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is a much more prolific killer than Babyface ever was.

The first movie works on the same principal as Groundhog Day, namely a character repeating one moment of time, seemingly forever. Phil (Bill Murray) is caught in a time loop, and his actions while enmeshed have no effect on anyone but himself.

Which is why Phil can kill himself in various interesting and entertaining ways.

Not so with Happy Death Day 2 U, which because it deals with parallel universes, not time like the original movie–is affecting not only ‘actual’ people–who just happen to exist on a parallel track–but every time Tree dies she’s displacing a version of herself.

So the character with the biggest bodycount is not Babyface, but Tree Gelbman.

And the movie also comments on the ludicrousness of having a baby as a mascot, which was to me he most pressing questions from the original movie.