Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin' Out REVIEW

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(CW: mild spoilers)

It's finally here! The long-awaited sequel to 2022's breakout horror comedy Adult Swim Yule Log has arrived and it is really quite something! Picking up where the first movie left off, we follow Zoey (Andrea Laing) through a new adventure as she deals with the trauma she suffered in the first movie (including carrying an axe with her wherever she goes) and trying to stop living in a horror movie and start living in a Hallmark Christmas movie. When she wanders into the small town of Mistletoe, known for its clumsy hunks, she thinks she might get her chance to do just that--but an old friend isn't far behind...

First of all, what they do with the meta idea of whether the characters are in a Hallmark movie or a horror movie is so creative but more to the point, it is executed flawlessly. Everything from the acting to the music to the aspect ratio of the film seamlessly transitions back and forth and at times the characters even seem to actively try to "escape" the horror movie into the Hallmark movie. I also really applaud the big swing here by Casper Kelly because this is a sequel to a horror movie that is largely a comedy satire of Hallmark movies with what I would call just enough horror sprinkled throughout before going full horror at the end in delightfully decadent fashion. We also get a lot of new and interesting lore which I won't go into in-depth here but I'm sure we'll have something for you all in the coming days/weeks that goes a little further into the lore of the "Yuleverse," as Casper Kelly calls it.

One thing that definitely caught my eye, however, was the subtitle: "Branchin' Out." It's hard not to read a little deeper into that considering all we've seen in these two movies. I can't help thinking about how many different directions the series can go from here. And if the ending of this movie is any indication, it seems likely that we'll be getting at least one more of these movies, if not more. We asked Casper Kelly about this in our interview with him and Andrea Laing (which will be dropping Monday!) and he said that he definitely wants to do at least one more, if not more--he even joked about doing 31 Adult Swim Yule Log movies and calling it "Days of December." I, for one, hope he's not joking!

Ultimately, to me, the highest praise you can give to a sequel is that it makes the previous movie better and by that measure, Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin' Out succeeds brilliantly. Not just all the different directions the story has gone in and could go in but now that they've tackled yule log videos and Hallmark movies, what genre or form could be in Casper Kelly and co.'s crosshairs next? I can't wait to find out!

Comments

Anonymous said…
It was a fun sequel! I'll admit, I had hopes we'd get some clarity on the ambiguous lore of the first film, but beyond that, this stands on it's own two feet SOOOO well! I'd love to see more in the future too!
December 7, 2024 at 6:29 PM
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