Fall 2 is in UK cinemas now from Signature Entertainment.
Some movies are born to be one and done thrillers, and 2022’s Fall appears to be one of them. It relied on a simple, terrifyingly premise executed incredibly well for those with vertigo. Fall 2 unfortunately, serves as a textbook example of why not every lightning-in-a-bottle success needs a franchise tacked onto it. What made the original work was its once in a lifetime situation these characters fell into; this follow-up, by comparison, feels like a stretched-thin attempt to tread the same water but trading genuine palm-sweating terror for forced drama.
The most glaring step down is the visual setup itself. By shifting the action from an isolated, fully exposed radio tower to a a poorly maintained path against the wall, the film inadvertently neuters its main attraction. The open air, full exposure of the sun and 360-degree drop of the original were what gave audiences genuine visceral dread. Against a wall, that terrifying sense of exposure disappears for us unless it forces the camera down to see the drop. As a result, the vertigo never quite feels real, and the suspense routinely lands with a thud rather than keeping you on the edge of your seat. To make matters worse, the writers force a connection to the original film by establishing that the new protagonist is the sister to the woman who died in the first one. It feels entirely unnecessary—a studio-mandated note aimed at manufacturing emotional stakes rather than letting a new character breathe organically. This now sorta makes it feel like this one family will always get stuck somewhere high up, rather than just a unique set of circumstances happening in the first film.
Where the film truly loses its footing, however, is in the third act. The climactic plot twist is entirely unnecessary. Instead of delivering a triumphant survival moment or a clever story payoff, the characters’ actions in the finale had the audience chuckle and even raise their hands in a “really?” gesture. It was a situation that if you were there, you would not care about the shady illegal activity happening as your focus would be to get back onto safe ground and go home with a lesson learned. It leaves the audience bewildered rather than shocked, undercutting whatever little momentum the story had left.
If there is a single saving grace, it’s the cast. The actors bring genuine commitment to the project, doing heavy lifting to wring actual emotion out of a clumsy, underdeveloped script. Both Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas as our two leads and Tom Brittney as their fated tour guide. None of their performances fell flat and it was the saving grace of the movie. They manage to ground the material in the emotional moments and prevent the film from being an unmitigated disaster.
The tease for a possible 3rd movie only leaves us with more confusion as to where they want to take this franchise. Suggesting that a Fall 3 would unite these characters in another very high up and dangerous situation which makes little to no sense as none of them intended to be in their original situations in the first place.
Verdict
Dodgy visual effects and a rinse and repeat plot causes a disappointing follow up to a solid survival thriller and at the end of the day, a good cast can only do so much to elevate a project that inherently feels like a bargain-bin, straight-to-DVD sequel. Fall 2 is a classic case of unnecessary franchise bloat—proof that when you try to rebuild a high-concept thrill ride on shaky ground, the only direction left to go is down.
⭐⭐.5
