The movie’s noticeably better than its predecessor due to two factors: (1) Parker Finn, who wrote and directed it, had a larger budget of $11 million thanks to the success his 2022 film enjoyed at the box office, and (2) Naomi Scott delivers a much stronger performance than Sosie Bacon did as the main character, Skye Riley. When considering how it stacks up against other films, it draws inspiration from the Japanese animated movie “Perfect Blue” from 1997, incorporates the growing sense of psychological dread found in "Rosemary’s Baby," and includes elements reminiscent of “From Within” (2008) and “The Rake” (2018). Those films might appeal to fans of this one. Some might suggest that it's too long by roughly 30-35 minutes, but I appreciated its deliberate pacing; the latter portion really gains speed. A nice touch is the glimpse into the difficulties a pop singer encounters in their daily routine. Naomi Scott, who has an English and Gujarati Indian heritage, is outstanding, and the director manages to showcase her beauty amidst all the disturbing events without leaning on nudity or exploitative imagery. The film’s length is 2 hours and 10 minutes, and it was filmed between January and March of 2024 in various New York locations, ranging from New York City to Albany—a drive of approximately 2.5 hours north of the city. Specific places used were Newburgh, Ellenville, Poughkeepsie, Monticello, and Hopewell Junction. GRADE: B+

Source on TMDB