'The Wrath of Becky' Review: Rebel Teen Returns for Another Alt-Right Bloodbath
'The Wrath of Becky
R: Strong bloody violence, gore, some sexual references, and pervasive language
Runtime: 1 Hour and 24 Minutes
Production Companies: Quiver Distribution
Distributor: Good Deed Entertainment, Mongrel Media
Directors: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
Writers: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
Cast: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Matt Angel, Courtney Gains, Aaron Dalla Villa, Michael Sirow, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Kate Siegel
Release Date: May 26, 2023
In Theaters Only
When the world went into lockdown, many indie distribution companies leaped at the opportunity to get their name out there by releasing movies straight to VOD and drive-in theaters. Quiver Distribution was one of the first to throw their hat in the ring with Becky, the action-thriller about a little girl in a beanie fucking up Neo-Nazis, Home Alone-style. Following the success of the Lulu Wilson-led flick, a sequel was expected. There are so many other hate groups within middle America that Becky and her trusty Cane Corso Diego can cut down. With the followup, The Wrath of Becky, the titular mini-Rambo faces (*spins the wheel*) a misogynistic alt-right group led by (*spins another wheel*) Seann William Scott.
Two years after the predecessor, 16-year-old Becky (Lulu Wilson) and her dog Diego attempt to live off the grid as ghosts. After being in and out of the foster care system, Becky finds refuge in the sweet, elderly Elena (Denise Burse). She finds a new routine by training on her combat and trapping skills while keeping a steady job as a waitress at a Mom-and-Pop diner. One day, one of Bucky’s customers puts his misogyny on main and chucks slurs at her. She makes her service industry fantasy a reality by dumping hot coffee on his crotch. Out of sheer pettiness, the coffee-stained soy boy invades Becky’s home and gives her a reason to kill again. Becky hatches a plot to get sweet revenge against the “Noble Men” fascist group, led by Darryl (Seann William Scott), on the eve of a murder plot.
As a sequel, The Wrath of Becky follows the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” model. It’s not interested in taking Becky in a new direction or increasing her body count with bolder methods. It plays like an extension of its predecessor because the action set pieces and story are scaled back. In Wrath, Becky conducts her kills at a remote cabin. The film’s change of director duos—from Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion to Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote—isn’t significant, for Angel and Coote retain the same dark-humored and gleefully-gory spirit as Milott and Murnion did.
Most of Wrath hits the same tone and small scale but is an improvement in the set-up department. The predecessor featured a lame MacGuffin in the form of a key that Becky’s late mom left for her, using the standard “they drew first blood” setup like every revenge action-thriller. In the sequel, Becky’s pissed off at fascist pigs who fucked her life up and stole her dog. It’s easy to buy into Becky’s road to rampage, especially given how it disrupts her safe, hard reset in life. Once Becky and Darryl’s men butt heads, Wrath takes you on a wild ride where Becky is the hunter rather than the hunted.
Lulu Wilson shows off her action-star power with high-octane charisma and grit. Now that she’s older, Wilson pridefully transforms Becky into a punk-rock deadpan badass with a particular set of skills. She doubles down on Becky’s hostility, for she exudes sheer joy with the slaughter she commits. The more happiness she derives from mowing down men, the more exciting the set pieces get.
As much as Wilson carries the film, it isn't a Becky movie without her going up against a comedic actor doing an antagonistic performance. Wrath gets leafy with Canadian actor Seann William Scott, who fits that bill. He displays effective intimidation and menace with his stoic Noble Men leader Darryl. He’s calmer than his reckless lackeys but exudes power in his committed line reading. For the next film, Becky will probably graduate to Seth Rogen or Jay Baruchel.
The Wrath of Becky bears a shorter runtime than the first film, but it takes forever for the bloodbath to get started. Wrath dedicates far too much time to resetting Becky’s life during the first half, but there’s not much substance to mine. Most of the first act is spent either at Becky’s new restaurant job or with her new guardian, Elena, and Wilson’s charismatic performance engages more than the screenplay. By the time we reach the bloodbath we’re waiting for, the film’s already halfway through.
There’s something up with these Becky movies and their inclusion of Black people… and that’s without the white supremacist villains' inclusion. In the first movie, Becky got prissy over her dad dating a Black woman with a kid. Eventually, she saved them, but that’s beside the point. In this sequel, Becky’s in the shelter of an elderly Black woman whom she adores and plays Scrabble. Not to give much away, but a frustrating film trope involving race is included, and it’s angeringly graphic. To make it worse, the disturbing visual is done in slow motion, and the longer the shot went, the angrier I became.
The Wrath of Becky plays like DLC, but it’s scaled way back in scope and set pieces. Albeit entertaining, the plotting serves as a feature-long setup for an even better follow-up. Becky gets on her Kevin McCallister shit again, but only like, one of her traps is exceptionally cool. Despite having a similar body count as the last movie, Wrath peaks at Becky’s first kill.
With another kickass performance by Lulu Wilson in the books, The Wrath of Becky offers the familiar rebellious girl vs. hate group gorefest formula with the same skillful execution as its predecessor.
