The Nun II (2023) Review

 "It's okay to be scared.  I'm scared too."
-Sister Irene Palmer



Sometime after the events of the first movie, the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) has returned and is leaving a trail of bodies across Europe.  Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is called upon by the church to once again face off against Valak and tracks it down to a boarding school in France only to learn Valek has processed her old friend, Maurice (Jonas Bloquet).


What Works:

Like in the last movie, all of the actors do a good job.  Farmiga and Bloquet have good chemistry not only with each other, but the new characters as well.  I also really like the performances of Anna Popplewell and Katelyn Rose Downey, who play the main characters at the boarding school.  They are all trying their best, they just aren't given enough to work with.

The movie does have a few creepy moments and couple of solid kills.  It could have used some more gore, but the kill in the opening and one in an old chapel are both solid.

Finally, the 3rd act gets a bit over-the-top in parts and I really enjoyed it.  At one point demonic forces enter a dormitory and the students start getting tossed around the room.  I don't think it was supposed to be funny, but I was laughing.  I wish more of the movie was about the students trying to escape the demonic boarding school.  Those precious few scenes were all really fun.  That should have been the whole movie.  These movies are way more fun when they stop taking themselves so seriously and get silly.  At least we got some of that in the finale.


What Sucks:

The biggest problem with the movie is that it's mostly boring.  We've seen all of this stuff before and until the 3rd act, it doesn't really do anything to hold my interest.  I wanted to take a nap and hope the movie would wake me up when it decided to get interesting.  There's a big stretch in the middle of the movie where nothing happens.

Like the rest of the movies in this franchise, this film is overly reliant on jump scares.  It's just not my type of horror.

While the actors all do a good job, the characters are all pretty thin.  There isn't much for me to get interested or care if they live or die.  The Conjuring movies are all pretty generic, but they work because the characters are likable and even interesting some times.  That's where all of the spinoff movie falter.  They don't get the characters right.


Verdict:

This is another boring and generic Conjuring spinoff.  It's not the worst spinoff, nor is it the best.  It just exists and I'm sure I'll forget most of it soon.  The 3rd act is fun, there are a few creepy moments, and the actors do their best, but there are too many jump scares, thin characters, and most of the movie is a snooze-fest.

 4/10: Bad 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Speak No Evil (2024) Review

Image
 "What is wrong with you?" -Louise Dalton While on vacation in Italy, the Dalton family befriends Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son, Ant (Dan Hough).  Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their farm in the British countryside.  The Daltons agree to go, but the weekend getaway slowly becomes more and more uncomfortable and escaping the farm threatens to turn deadly. What Works: All of the actors give really great performances.  Both McAvoy and Franciosi have great chemistry and, especially in the early parts of the film, they do come across as a really likable and loving couple.  They're both very charming until they're not.  As the film goes on, both of their performances become more unhinged and they absolutely kill it.  I also really like Dan Hough's performance, especially since the character can't speak.  Hough still manages to give a memorable performance. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy also do a great job, especially dealing
Read more

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Review

Image
 "Welcome to the MCU.  You're joining at a bit of a low point." -Deadpool Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has retired from being the mercenary Deadpool until he is kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).  With the death of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Wade's timeline is deteriorating and Wade is given the opportunity to join the Sacred Timeline.  Wade decides to fight back in order to save his friends and timeline and searches the multiverse for help in the form of another Wolverine.  Unfortunately, the only Wolverine he can get to help him is known as the worst Wolverine in the multiverse. Spoilers below.  In short, this isn't a very good movie in terms of narrative or story.  I wouldn't say it's really about anything.  It's an excuse to have Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie and done properly.  It's more of an event special and less of a film.  It's fun, but definitely the weakest of the Deadpool trilogy. What Works: The best part of
Read more