Essentially a horror riff on 1993’s Groundhog Day, 2017’s Happy Death Day made $125 million worldwide. That’s a rounding error for a massive movie like Avengers: Endgame, but given that Death Day cost a mere $4.8 million to shoot, it turned a massive profit.

Inevitably, that led to a sequel via 2019’s Happy Death Day 2U. It came with a bigger budget of $9 million and a lower gross of $64 million, but I suspect that’s enough of a windfall to ensure we’ll get a third chapter before long.

In the original, Bayfield University sorority sister Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) got murdered over and over, as she relived her final day on earth multiple times until she solved the crime. At that point, she appeared free from the loop.

Nothing that easy occurs, though, as now the circle of death appears to impact Ryan Phan (Phi Vu), the roommate of Tree’s boyfriend Carter Davis (Israel Broussard). Tree attempts to help Ryan escape this fate, with inevitable complications along the way.

Like many horror movies, the first Death Day offered a strong premise with lackluster execution. While not a bad effort, it really never became anything more than “Bloody Groundhog Day”, as its attempts at cleverness came on an erratic basis.

While the first film seemed able to coast simply on the basic appeal of its concept, a sequel theoretically needs to break new ground. After all, the original movie’s story was perilously reminiscent of Groundhog Day, so a second chapter really should find new territory to mine.

To a reasonable degree, it does. Though more than a few aspects of 2U reflect the first film, it manages to create its own identity.

Both movies went for “PG-13”, and they’re breezier and more comedic than most in the horror genre. Actually, the light tone of 2U feels more convincing, mainly because it works less hard to pursue the scares.

At its core, the first film gave us a slasher flick with a twist, whereas 2U broadens into other realms. To avoid spoilers, I can’t say too much, but the sequel pursues a mix of paths that give it life beyond the basic horror tone.

These factors make it a surprisingly effective effort. I thought the first movie came with occasional moments of inspiration, but at its core, it never turned into anything more than the basic “slasher Groundhog Day”.

2U comes with greater ambitions. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but it nonetheless becomes a fairly enjoyable mix of thriller, horror and comedy.

Footnote: a tag scene pops up during the end credits.

Happy Death Day 2U appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The transfer presented the film in an appealing manner.

Sharpness looked good. A smidgen of softness hit some wider shots, but those instances remained insubstantial, so the majority of the flick showed fine clarity and accuracy.

Jaggies and shimmering failed to distract, and edge haloes remained absent. The movie also lacked any source flaws and was consistently clean.

In terms of colors, 2U went with standard orange and teal most of the time. The hues never stood out as memorable, but they were fine for this story’s choices.

Blacks were pretty deep, and shadows were well-depicted, an important factor given the potentially murky interior settings. The image offered a “B+” presentation.

As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it lacked a ton of ambition, though I didn’t view that as a flaw. A story like this came heavy on ambience and light on opportunities for fireworks, so the absence of showy sequences failed to become a problem.

When the action heated up, however, the mix reflected that and used the spectrum well. Music filled the various channels in a satisfying manner, and effects fleshed out the spectrum in a logical way. Nothing dazzled but the mix seemed suitable for the material.

Audio quality pleased. Speech was concise and natural, while effects remained accurate and full-bodied.

Music was vibrant and dynamic. While this was never an especially memorable track, it worked for the story.

A handful of extras pop up here, and we start with a Gag Reel. It runs two minutes, 35 seconds and gives us some improv lines in addition to the usual goofs, so those add value.

One Deleted Scene goes for two minutes, 15 seconds. It offers a little more action and becomes a decent addition.

A few featurettes follow, and Never-Ending Birthday spans two minutes, 46 seconds and features writer/director Christopher Landon, producer Jason Blum and actors Jessica Rothe, Suraj Sharma, Ruby Modine, Israel Broussard and Phi Vu.

“Birthday” looks at story/character/genre areas. It largely exists as a promotional piece so it provides little substance.

Web of Love lasts one minute, 33 seconds and features Landon, Rothe, Broussard, and actor Rachel Matthews. It’s another story/character-based reel that enjoys virtually no informational value.

Finally, Multiverse 101 takes up two minutes, four seconds. It spells out the movie’s timeline and “loops” to become a short but useful summary.

The disc opens with ads for Glass, Fighting With My Family and Serenity (2019). No trailer for 2U appears here.

Given the first movie’s heavy reliance on its overriding concept, I worried that Happy Death Day 2U would feel like a witless retread. Happily, it pursues new ground and becomes a brisk, largely satisfying sequel. The Blu-ray brings good picture and audio along with minor supplements. Superior to the original movie, 2U mostly entertains.