The impulse in a sequel is always to go bigger. In terms of sheer altitude, Fall 2: Deadpoint doubles its predecessor: Instead of being trapped atop a 2,000-foot abandoned radio tower in the middle of the American desert, its protagonists are trapped against the side of a 4,000-foot mountain on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, which we’re told early on is a dangerous place due to conflicts between border patrol agents and fentanyl smugglers. Of course, our protagonists go there anyway, because they have to grow by facing their fears or whatever. And, as we all know, an American’s self-actualization is the most important thing in the world.
The extent of our heroines’ entitlement is not made clear until midway through the movie, when Jax (Harriet Slater) and Luce (Arsema Thomas) are very upset when they realize that the Thai locals, who warned them not to go on an illegal climb up the side of a mountain that’s been closed to the public for decades because it’s too dangerous, are not willing to risk their own lives to save these dumb tourists from their own recklessness. (The locals are framed as the bad guys.) In retrospect, however, the red flags were there from the start: Mere days after meeting her in the first act, Jax agrees to quit her job and go on an expedition with Luce in honor of her sister, an “adventure influencer” who fell from the aforementioned tower and died in the first movie.
