Anxiety-inducing moments and eye-rolling developments abound in this needlessly complicated sequel. Yep, I guess you can say Fall 2 — ahem — falls short of matching its “way better than it had any right to be” predecessor. But, to its credit, it still has its moments. Like the first film, this eventually becomes an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride - once we actually make it to the mountain, that is. But once we get there, the dizzying heights feel every bit as terrifyingly authentic as they did the first time around. Trust me, the camera work is once again expertly wince-inducing, with plenty of vertigo-fueled shots designed to make your palms sweat. Are there moments of cheese and predictability? 100%. But the movie largely knows exactly what kind of ride it’s taking us on, leaning into those expectations and playing with them every step of the way. We know something is going to go wrong — the title is practically a spoiler after all. The teases are purposeful, building the tension until the inevitable. What doesn’t work nearly as well is the convoluted story surrounding these characters. No spoilers, but just know there are some pretty outlandish twists along the way, and not all of them land. The further the movie goes along, the shakier the storytelling becomes. The ending, in particular, is very, well… the word “lame” comes to mind. Luckily, the movie pads itself with more than a few satisfying thrills. And when it’s putting its characters in genuinely terrifying situations, Fall 2 delivers the kind of visceral suspense that made the original such a pleasant surprise. If only they didn’t try so hard to “fool” us along the way. So, it may not reach the heights of its predecessor, but there’s still enough here to keep you gripping your armrest. Like the climb itself, this film is a rocky one, with more than a few slips along the way.