After becoming an assassin once again, family man Hutch Mansell (played again by Bob Odenkirk) is noticing the rift growing between him and his wife, Becca (played again by Connie Nielsen) now that he’s frequently absent, and decides to fix this by going on vacation to Plummerville Water Park with her, their two kids, Brady and Sammy (played again by Gage Munroe and Paisley Cadorath), and his father, David (played again by Christopher Llyod).
While Hutch wants nothing more than a relaxing time, he and his family are met with unfounded hostility by the town’s theme park operator, Wyatt Martin (played by John Ortiz) and the obviously corrupt town sheriff, Abel (played by Colin Hanks), forcing Hutch to uncover the true shady nature of this seemingly innocent getaway town.
His actions are noticed by Abel and his boss, the psychotic criminal Lendina (played by Sharon Stone), who has her sights on wiping out Hutch’s family in retaliation, causing the assassin to toss off the beach shorts and put his killing pants back on.
NOBODY 2 feels very different to its predecessor in spirit, tone and overall presentation, leading to a feature that isn’t on the same level and feels fairly shallow by comparison. Despite this, there are still enough fun action set pieces, a vibrant atmosphere, and quirkily enjoyably performances to make it an entertaining vacation.
NOBODY worked perfectly well as a single film and didn’t require a follow-up, but it could be continued if the creatives thought of fun scenarios to put their characters in. This sequel set things up in a way that it can just have fun without needing to be bogged down by excess plot that it clearly didn’t plan out in advance, but because this universe never felt like it had that much to explore, there’s very little to accomplish with a sequel, and therefore, leaves this plot feeling incredibly secondary and without much direction. Going on a vacation is an incredibly predictable sequel trope, and while this film doesn’t do it terribly, it’s hard to say it really makes full use of it.
While this set up would be a perfect opportunity to explore family dynamics, nothing special comes from their interactions and the unique flair these characters originally had is missing. Despite being only 83 mins, the story written by Kolstad, can feel stagnant in certain sections and doesn’t unveil into something more interesting, the script written by Kolstad and Aaron Rabin, has arguably made the environment and characters less interesting, and the directing makes this film feel entirely alien from the first. With this being his first English-language feature, Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto was known for being an action director, but his style is much more hectic, colourful and traditional, next to the slick, low-key and patient attitude of the first, creating a separation that this sequel sadly loses against. This presentation isn’t bad, can lead to more flamboyant fight scenes, and results in a very fun climax in the amusement park where all the rides and games are used in a gloriously gruesome fashion, but this means the more intimate moments feel less purposeful which only increases the hollow feeling present throughout.
Even though Nobody had strong direction and imagery, it was mainly held together thanks to Bob Odenkirk being an unexpectedly memorable action lead.
Odenkiork was what drove that movie and made it a property that could continue, so it’s kind of a shame that he feels less interesting in this sequel. It’s not to an extreme degree, but while it was originally intriguing watching him jump back and forth between loving and dreading his violent side through small but communicative expressions, it’s traded for a much more streamlined conflict of ‘’wanting to escape, but being unable to avoid it’’, which isn’t as much fun. Even Odenkirk’s performance doesn’t feel as captivating anymore without that nebulous factor, coming across as traditionally acceptable, but nothing much else.
Nobody is giving a bad performance and some are able to work in this new tone, with the two best being Colin Hanks as the slimy sheriff, who is so pompous with his status that you’ll adore the moment he’s taken out, and Sharon Stone as the main villain, who despite limited screen time makes the most of it with a delivery that sparkles with insanity and turns a pretty one-note villain into something a little more memorable.
The remainder of the cast aren’t bad, but don’t feel like their inclusion benefits the film all that much. John Ortiz starts as a one-note irritating antagonist and even after softening up later on, isn’t given much more to be endearing.
Christopher Llyod, RZA and Colin Salmon felt pretty relevant in the first film but now feel included solely for the purpose of bringing back popular characters, and it’s still annoying that Paisley Cadorath, Gage Munroe and Connie Nielsen aren’t more prominent characters despite being driving factors behind the lead.
One of the positives of this new tone is that it takes less time for the action to get going, and while it’s hard to claim any of the fights are that interesting, they are well handled and produce some fun splatter. The chaos is less restrained, and the R rating leads to a few graphic kills that feel pretty gruesome and gory. It’s also an incredibly vibrant and colourful film, with the waterpark aesthetic naturally leading to a sunnier and cleaner look in comparison to the heavily saturated and drearier look of the former.
While the first film looked more defined, this sequel uses its new style to its benefit and really comes to life in the climax where the dusk setting, mixed with the popping up primary colours, really creates an ambience that’s peaceful to close out on.
The cinematography by Callan Green tries to feel more in-the-moment with a heavier use of shaky cam and intimate angles, but it doesn’t really hold up to how intricate and nicely laid out the first film looked. This can also be said for the music, with it trying to replicate the punchy soundtrack but none of the songs, or even the musical score composed by Dominic Lewis, feel that memorable, or elevate any of the scenes that they’re featured in.
NOBODY 2 follows the trend of many action films, where the sequel is a perfectly passable flick that will entertain the masses, but is unable to live up to what came before it. On the one hand, it’s unfortunate that this sequel fails to use the potential that could come with exploring more of its side characters and delving deeper into the mind of its protagonist, but at the same time, the fact that it was able to transition into a more casual version and still be enjoyed by critics and audiences, is a sign that it could continue in a more shallow form without much issue. Even with a lower box office rate, people that do see it will still appreciate the hectic violence, colourful environments, and well-performed cast, so even if it’s a holiday that won’t provide lasting memories, it’ll offer some pleasant fleeting thoughts.
NOBODY 2 is playing in Australian cinemas and is also available for digital rental or purchase, as it had a dual theatrical and digital release in August 2025. You can find local cinema showtimes on websites like Flicks.com.au or visit the websites of major chains like Hoyts and Event Cinemas to buy tickets.
