Olwen “Vee” van Dijk-Hildebrand

Spoilers ahead! If it hadn't been advertised as a direct sequel and rather a same-universe movie, I'd have rated it higher. As it was you spend the majority of the movie looking for connections with the original, waiting for a grand reveal that just never comes. There are parallels to the original - two rival chasers with different objectives and styles, and here and there some small homages to the original - our new main heroine is clearly modelled after Helen Hunt and is even dressed as her on occasion, and the 'hero' car is the same colour as the one at the end of the original. The story is predictable, but not terrible, and if you like slow build obvious romance, then it's in there too... Also, I take issue with a few key things: 1. DRIVING INTO A TORNADO IS DANGEROUS, stop telling people they can do it safely 2. STOPPING WEATHER MESSES WITH THE NATURAL WEATHER CYCLES, we know this from the long term effects of cloud seeding... the painful theoretical science just hurt my head. I know it's a plot device but seriously unbelievable, why do we always have to one-up in sequels? If we still don't know how tornados are formed, why not just chase that? Okay rant over. Barring a fun switch of sides, that's all there is to it. There's nothing ground breaking or bar-setting like we had in the first one, and just so many missed opportunities for something to tie back to the original - something tangible that catered to those of us who witnessed the glory that was the original. So, my verdict: not great, but fairly fun to watch, just don't compare it to the original or you'll be as disappointed as I was.

Starts with a gut-wrenching and powerful series of events that forces you to confront the evil side of humanity and look for your own grounding. Graphics, gameplay, storytelling are all impressive. Love the strides this game makes towards inclusiveness and overcoming boundaries in society while shedding a light on elements of our existence we need to think about. *SPOILER ALERT* After 12+ hours, you get ripped out of the sorry pacing when the gameplay switches to the second character, one in whom you're not at all invested or interested in. I'm sorry to say that it ruins the flow and really irritates me. Naighty Dog really missed the mark with that choice.