“Black Phone 2” mostly does an excellent job of ending up on the right side of the line. A dramatic expansion and tonal shift of the 2021 original, the sequel is a thoughtful, gory riff on “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” It also expands on the talking-to-the-dead themes from the original, exploring the idea on a deeper level. Though the wider scope does cause some stumbles, it features excellent performances from both its young protagonists and the returning Grabber (Ethan Hawke). 

The movie is set a few years after the original, and the events of that movie still haunt both Finn (Mason Thames) and his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). Gwen is trying to help the dead while Finn ignores them, but he still follows his sister to a frozen-over Christian youth camp to help the spirits of the dead there. Unfortunately for them, the spirit of the Grabber is there as well. 

The filmmakers are Christian, so there’s discussion of both God and the Devil that doesn’t immediately tip over into Catholic imagery. It’s not really thematically important, but it’s nice to see characters have genuine faith without making it their entire personality. A dig at the extreme judgmentalness of certain “Christians” was also welcome. 

The backstory dump, unfortunately, was less so. The Grabber’s new lore doesn’t fit in with the man we saw in the original, and an invented connection between him and the siblings feels far too convenient. 

Thankfully, that’s only a small part of the story. 

Grade: Three stars

Roofman (in theaters)

“Roofman” isn’t quite the movie it sells itself to be. 

For most of the run time, it seems like it’s going to be. There’s just one brief, devastating blip in the entertaining adventure of an escaped criminal, full of all the live-in-a-toy store fantasies anyone could hope for. Channing Tatum is utterly charming as always, and his comic timing is invaluable in nailing the movie’s humor. He’s got a great chemistry with Kristen Dunst, and their burgeoning relationship adds a lovely sweetness. We know that technically Tatum’s character is a bad guy, but it’s hard not to root for him. 

But don’t forget that early devastating moment. All the charm dead-ends into a finale that is either depressing or heartbreaking, depending on your level of investment. It’s a realistic finale, one that’s in line with the actual story, but it drops the mood of the movie like a lead weight. Whether or not you’re expecting it, it makes the movie a lot less fun. 

If you’re not aware of the original story, Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) was a gentleman robber who was given a life sentence after a string of fast food robberies. He escapes to a Toys-R-Us, living there while he starts a relationship with a local woman (Dunst) and her children. Will he be able to escape town when he gets a chance, or will his feelings for her make him stay?

Adding to the heartbreak is the fact that Tatum’s character never should have gotten a life sentence in the first place, since he wasn’t violent and they could only pin one robbery on him. He was absolutely shafted by the legal system, and though the movie never addresses it the fact haunts the narrative.

Grade: Two and a half stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society and the Utah Film Critics Association. Drop her a line at [email protected].

Credit for photo ©Universal