The Nun 2 takes audiences back into the darkest chapter of The Conjuring Universe, but is this second crusade worth your time?
In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.
The Nun 2’s strong use of shadows helps add to the horror element and makes it a believable world where the Nun can pray on the innocent. Lighting creates a sense of safety, but there are small windows where she can attack when the timing is perfect. The film also uses certain avenues and natural scare settings that are used to great effect in creating a terrifying environment
The movie manages to do so much with so little. It’s all about using silence to build up the tension while also trying to fake you out, adding to that feeling of terror audiences expect from these movies. The movie goes a step further and adds some other components to help deliver more exciting moments like the steady pounding on doors, the subtle shift of textures like wood and stone, and those roaring moments to really top things off. Then mixing in the theatrical music and screams to the mix only adds more illusion of horror and the belief that the actors are facing real monsters.
The movie does go a bit quicker than the first one, and for the mystery/thriller aspect of it, that’s not a bad thing. The Nun 2 may be almost two hours long, but it never feels like it and is actually quite enjoyable in keeping things moving, but still manages to establish the build-ups and adds some story elements in the process.
Horror movies are about making characters to root for as you follow them through their dark journey and The Nun 2 has some pretty great performances. Storm Reid is a great new addition and her character is both fun and endearing. Reid’s tough attitude combined with compassion is a great addition to Irene’s skills but has a little shakeup that they can play with in another installment. Jonas Bloquet is wonderful in terms of how he took the basic characteristics and evolved them to the latter part of his life. With another level of etiquette, miked with goofiness created a deeper role that made for a fun character you care to find the answers to. And Taissa Farmiga is outstanding with her charm, beauty, and fierceness showcased in her performance.
The Conjuring Universe may have started off with scares, but there was a story element that helped create a film that is more than about the scares. There is good character integration and lore that has some spiritual ties that this film thrives on, and an overall decent horror element that is comfortable, yet deeper.
Overall, The Nun 2 is great for being a thriller/drama and ties the story together, redeems our characters adds more to their story, and still manages to expand the universe. However, the movie still has some work to do if it wants to match the splendor of the original Conjuring movies that started everything. The scares need less setup and more spontaneousness. They need to be a mixture of tactics and have a more natural flow. All in all, this is definitely worth a trip to the movies and a good follow-up with a potential for more.
The Nun 2 is now playing in theaters.
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