The Wrath of Becky

Directed by Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote, The Wrath of Becky follows Lulu Wilson’s title character as she springs into action once again after a group of alt-right terrorists, led by Seann William Scott’s Darryl, kidnap her beloved dog. It’s a promising setup that’s employed to periodically entertaining yet mostly middling effect by Angel and Coote, as the filmmakers, working from Angel’s screenplay, deliver an oddly-paced (and distressingly sluggish) endeavor that ultimately feels long even at just 84 minutes – with, especially, the picture faring especially poorly within a first half that takes much too long to really get going (ie enough with the talking, already). The introduction of Scott’s quietly menacing figure elevates the proceedings considerably, as does the inclusion of a few appreciatively brutal mid-movie encounters and set-pieces – with the movie all-too-temporarily adopting the feel of an old-school action thriller. It’s disappointing to note, then, that The Wrath of Becky‘s inability to sustain that tone all the way through to the finale is unfortunate, to say the least, and it is, as a result, clear that the movie, in the end, falls right in line with its just-okay predecessor – which is too bad, certainly, given the promise of the setup and Scott’s performance. (And what’s with this series’ continuing mistreatment of animals?)

** out of ****