A sequel should be similar to the film that preceded it, but not the same. That’s the conventional wisdom that, for better or worse, not all filmmakers observe when picking up the mantle of a series or franchise. But when they’re working from a high-concept premise, it’s a challenge especially fraught with risk. And following up Scott Mann’s “Fall” feels outwardly as risky as the climbing stunt that strands its daredevil best friends atop a 2,000-foot broadcasting tower.
“Fall 2: Deadpoint,” directed by the Spierig Brothers from a script by Mann and his “Fall” cowriter Jonathan Frank, successfully replicates the vertiginous tension of the first film without feeling like a carbon copy. Unfortunately, its determination to recreate its predecessor’s personal conflicts and revelations, along with its narrative twists and turns, slightly hamstrings what is otherwise an extremely effective thrill ride, especially on the big screen.
Harriet Slater (“Tarot”) plays Jax Hunter, older sister to Shiloh (Virginia Gardner), who died in the first film. While selling off Shiloh’s belongings, she meets Luce (Arsema Thomas), a close friend of her sister who suggests that the two of them honor her legacy by tackling the next death-defying obstacle Shiloh hoped to conquer: the Devil’s Elbow, a treacherous plank walk on the side of a mountain in Thailand. Nursing regrets over the last words she said to Shiloh before her death, Jax agrees, especially after learning that the “Death Dragon” awaits them at the summit, promising to eat their fears if they reach it.
