It seems that sequel fatigue is not setting in for the Sicario franchise, as the follow-up to the 2015 thriller has received rave reviews.
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Yes, even without Emily Blunt, Sicario: Day of the Soldado has been praised as "all killer, no filler", with many of the first reviews arguing it holds up its own without the actress.
Starring returning actors Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, the movie follows the pair as they concoct a plan to stop drug cartels from smuggling terrorists across the border.
Many reviewers have praised the story's relevance to the current political climate around the US-Mexican border, and how it had franchise potential.
While not everyone was singing Soldado's praises, it sounds like a worthy sequel to the original acclaimed movie. Here's what the critics are saying:
The Guardian
"With the luck and timing that always go with talent, screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has come up with an uncompromisingly fierce thriller that involves the US government separating a Mexican father from his child as part of a plan to crack down on illegal border crossings.
"He and Italian director Stefano Sollima (known for the 2015 mob drama Suburra) have collaborated on a horribly gripping sequel to Sheridan's 2015 Mexican cartel picture Sicario (directed by Denis Villeneuve). This delivers a coolly targeted payload of brutality, launched from a cauldron of male aggression and international politics."
Empire
"Thrillingly paced, ravishingly shot and eerily topical, Sicario 2 retains much of its predecessor's dark charm despite its shuffled creative personnel. But a jarringly Hollywood ending dulls its overall impact."
The Telegraph
"A plot that at first looks like a simple, gung-ho, in-and-out job soon takes on the more complex rise and fall of a miniseries, and ends in a way that teases more stories to come, even while signing off the one at hand with a satisfying snap.
"Perhaps a Sicario series would make sense after this, though part of me wants to keep this story for cinema: if the market wants franchises, let's have more like this, please."
Total Film
"Though not as startlingly original as its predecessor, Soldado still throbs with energy and tension. Featuring a couple of stunning set-pieces – including one major highway shoot-out – it leaves you musing on the blurred line between governments and organised crime, and on just what it takes to maintain order in a morally bankrupt universe."
Variety
"Sicario: Day of the Soldado isn't so much a sequel as a pilot for an entirely new cycle of Sicario movies centred on the characters of the 2015 film (minus Emily Blunt), directed by the man responsible for the gritty Gomorrah series for Italian TV, Stefano Sollima. The rise of quality television has conditioned audiences not to expect endings so much as an ever-escalating sense of conflict, within which beloved characters can be whacked at a moment's notice."
The New York Times
"Sicario: Day of the Soldado, directed by Stefano Sollima from a script by Taylor Sheridan, is an unusual kind of sequel. Dumber, less inventive and not as pretentious as Sicario (released in 2015, directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Mr. Sheridan), it both advances and retreats, expanding on the original and narrowing its scope. Emily Blunt is missing, and so is some of the sharpness that made Sicario interesting. This time, we're in more familiar genre territory."
The Independent
"This is a tense and impressively crafted, old-fashioned thriller, lent some heart by Del Toro's performance. The new film may not match its predecessor but it retains most of the elements which made the first Sicario so successful."
USA Today
"Coming off 2015's excellent Sicario, it's the most unconventional and perhaps unnecessary sequel in a season full of follow-ups, but Brolin and Benicio Del Toro's morally dubious characters keep Soldado gripping while subject matter makes it relevant."
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is released in the US and the UK on June 29.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
