Alex Reviews "Nobody 2"

Nobody was one of the biggest and best surprises of 2021. For what it is worth, it was one of my favorite movies of that year. Nobody 2 follows the same path of feeling like a grassroots action comedy that is easy to enjoy.

Bob Odenkirk and the entire Mansell family are back, but instead of a post break-in hunt, the recently unretired Hutch is going on a vacation to the one place he remembers being happy in his childhood.  Of course, almost nothing goes to plan, and a chance encounter spins into an epic battle that leans into the best parts of the first film.

The most notable difference from Nobody to the sequel is the dramatic tonal shift from Ilya Naishuller’s dark, John Wick-ian style to a bright, saturated appearance from Timo Tjahjanto (V/H/S/2 & V/H/S/94). Where the first one felt designed to make the audience feel like they were seeing a seedy underbelly, Nobody 2 finds a common ground implying that bad things don’t only happen in the dark. Personally, I felt the aesthetic played wonderfully into the narrative and its welcoming approach before dropping the hammer.

While I am unsure if my experience was altered by an extreme love of the first film, I felt that the dialogue of Nobody 2 lacked a certain bite or witticism prevalent to the first picture. It is still incredible and very intelligently leans on the immensely talented cast to give the story depth. Odenkirk is still perfect in his balancing act between suburban dad and extreme operative, while giving the character some amazing depth using only facial expressions. Connie Nielsen steals every scene she gets by adding a master stage actor’s emotion to each action.

The new additions to the crew felt dichotomous in their performances. Colin Hanks nailed the self-importance delusions, while Sharon Stone kind of made me wish I could fast forward her scenes. Where Hanks felt very natural in his role, Stone came across to me like a square peg in a round hole. Maybe she was trying to emulate the brilliant insanity of Aleksey Serebryakov’s villain from the first film, but it felt awkward and forced. That is a painful thing to say since I believe Stone is a phenomenal actress that I believe would have elevated Nobody 2 with a more personal touch rather than dragging her scenes down with a poor attempt at appearing unhinged.

Despite that one gripe, Nobody 2 is going to be one of the most fun films of 2025 and I feel confident in that statement beyond just about any I’ll make this year. If you loved the first film, you will love this outing. If you thought the first was too dark, 2 is for you. If you just love the ground floor violence without spectacle, welcome back but spectacle will be there. Go see Nobody 2 when it releases in theaters on August 15^th!