Fantasia 2025 Review: INFLUENCERS Brings More Blood, More Commentary, and Earns More Likes

Kurtis David Harder’s Influencers is an unexpected smash sequel to 2022’s stolen identity chiller (same title sans pluralization). Where Influencer ends is reasonably straightforward: the baddie’s stranded on an island, and an online celebrity still has her health. But Harder’s not done with these clout-gobbling characters, and he’s got the storytelling juice to prove it. Influencers continues to examine the despicable relationship humanity has developed with the internet by going sleazier, crazier, and bloodier this time around. Harder’s Wi-Fi Noir has even more psycho energy, enough to match the manipulative lunatics caught scrambling for answers under the continuation’s magnifying glass.

Cassandra Naud returns as the elusive and somehow free-living CW, last seen left stranded by Madison (Emily Tennant). She’s now in Southern France, celebrating a milestone relationship anniversary at a lavish resort with her photographer lover, Diane (Lisa Delamar). That’s where they meet an influencer named Charlotte (Georgina Campbell), and CW’s tempted to embrace her old ways. She has a beautiful partnership with Diane, but is drawn to Charlotte’s follower count. Then she meets an aspiring Andrew Tate wannabe streamer in Jacob (Jonathan Whitesell) and his conservative mouthpiece girlfriend, Ariana (Veronica Long), and CW finds herself in another twisted web of lies—that Madison wants to expose.

Harder overcomes a damning end for CW in Influencer with a clever opening that distracts from leftover cliffhangers. An immediate offering of zero-context bloodshed is our introduction, then we’re riding shotgun to CW’s blossoming romance with Diane. Influencers almost feels like a different timeline; we’re able to invest in the new situation without being bogged down by logistical questions. It’s nearly thirty minutes before the credits even hit, which signifies a thematic turn that finally veers back toward Influencer. The ruse of a fresh start hides temptations of old, but then we’re smack in the middle of another killer mystery, which forgives a lack of clarity as to what exactly happened after Madison left CW to die.

Influencers is a reunion for multiple crew members, including cinematographer David Schuurman and composer Avery Kentis. The overwhelming sights and tense sounds of Influencer return, especially Schuurman’s photography of gorgeous vacation landscapes from streetside French cafes to Bali’s bottle-service nightlife. Jacob’s Indonesian mansion is an enviable den of sin where he spews his toxic masculinity, which becomes a key setting that has to look the part for where two self-obsessed internet stars would reside. Schuurman ensures that shot selection consistently achieves maximum attractiveness, to duplicate an influencer’s obsession with valuing physical traits over all else.

The new cast adds despicable interest, because they’re icons we don’t care to see given justice. Whitesell plays a hateable alpha male chud who preys on insecure males, and Long’s Ariana is your Candice Owens replicant, so there’s a bit more nastiness we crave. Campbell’s Charlotte is this film’s Madison, whose only crime is offering CW and Diane an exclusive wine tour invitation. Harder’s not hitting us with the same commentaries about parasocial online relationships and our hunger for millions of views, but digging deeper into the ugly pariahs who’ve weaponized social media to spread bad-faith agendas. Jacob and Ariana know exactly the sad, vulnerable souls who will devour their in-character bullshit, and care nothing about the ramifications. The drama is juicier, and the outcome is allowed to be more ruthless.

Then there’s CW and Madison, on a collision course since Influencer. Naud’s stealthy cyber chameleon earns her resurgence, no matter how curious it is that CW’s unique face mark can’t be located on any footage. It’s a joy watching CW work, whether seducing Jacob and his playboy buddy Cameron (Dylan Playfair) or hacking Charlotte’s accounts, because Naud’s presence dominates over any screen counterpart. Tennant’s Madison is looking to clear her name, unbelieved by true crime podcast bros, which turns her into a jet-setting private eye on CW’s tail—which works surprisingly well. As all the ingredients swirl together, from CW’s sneaking behind Diane’s back to Madison’s quest for vengeance, Harder develops new excitement amidst old arcs left unfinished. However, it’s impossible to ignore how a predatory and unhinged Naud steals the show.

Is Influencers perfect? No. There’s a roll-with-it continuity that returns from Influencer as characters get away with literal murders (again)—but the vibes are magnetic. Harder’s sequel is hellbent on exposing the revolting truths about online celebrity culture, unleashing CW like a heat-seeking missile on the worst of the worst. It’s an alluring crime spree to behold, and Naud’s turn as CW is a passionate display of socially relevant villainy, so much so that we can holster storytelling questions that would otherwise drive us mad. Who’s going to complain about more: more violence, more action, more suspense? Influencers proves that Harder’s original was no fluke—and I’d be willing to gamble on a third film if that means we get more CW in our lives.

Movie Score: 3.5/5