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| Images courtesy New Line Pictures |
The Conjuring series continues its cinematic jaunt with its latest entry, The Nun 2, a direct continuation of the 2018 film starring Taissa Farmiga.
Coming at the beginning of the Halloween theatrical release season, director Michael Chaves returns with his third film in James Wan's The Conjuring universe. Having previously directed The Curse of La Llorona and the third Warren chapter, The Devil Made Me Do It, he feels at home churning out another major studio movie that sits somewhere between overdone franchise mediocrity and a mildly creative addition to this ever-expanding mythology. It's a definite step in the right direction and a far greater entry than The Nun.
The year is 1956 and a series of religious deaths have taken place. Several priests and members of the church have met a mysterious and brutal fate. Sister Irene is called back into action by her superiors as they suspect a demonic presence has returned to commit hellish acts on their brothers and sisters. Irene is charged with locating an artifact that will assist her in defeating the demon nun Valak one final time.
The resulting two hours is one that relies heavily on gothic imagery, violent deaths and a burdensome load of jump scares. Yet, Chaves and his production team have done what most fail to do. This sequel is actually much better than its predecessor. Learning from previous mistakes, The Nun 2 really goes for the gusto in its messaging and plotting. There’s something here that seemed to be missing from the first. Characters have purpose along with much needed back story that adds a level of care that was altogether missing from the first.
There’s a lot here that is totally expected. But when it doesn’t conform to genre tropes, the movie works in many unexpected ways. For one, this movie takes no prisoners, allowing characters to be harmed in new and creative ways, along with violence towards innocent children being one of the most surprising bits of the movies. No one is safe including a bevy of young girls at a small boarding school. This in itself is a major upgrade that takes The Nun II to new and uncharted territory for a movie aimed at a mixed audience, young and old.
Barring all the plot holes and some messy or convoluted writing in spots, The Nun 2 has some amazing visuals that include excellent practical creature effects, great use of lighting technique and nearly period perfect set design. Where the first film felt cheap and like a pure studio flick, this one actually has some style, despite lacking a certain level of substance that could have made this the best since The Conjuring II. This is a surprisingly entertaining movie that doesn't run out of steam, even at a nearly two hour run time.
-CG