‘The Nun II’ Review: Self-Serious Sequel Takes The Safe Route
The James Wan-captained Conjuring Universe is the horror equivalent of the MCU. Both the MCU and TCU are over-bloated machines that take little risk and capitalize off of SEO-fueled fan service. And yet both continuously break records and rake in the cash. While these systems are often a formula for uninteresting, by-committee cinema, the occasional rogue filmmaker comes along to shake up the game and produce something extraordinary under the restrictive confines of big-budget franchises. However, I do not believe Michael Chaves is one of those filmmakers.
His previous two chapters in The Conjuring world were among the weakest in the long-running series. And his latest effort, The Nun II, is The Conjuring Universe at its worst. It’s dull, uninspired, and, worst of all, void of any personality. While this might have less to do with the talents of Chaves and his writers and more to do with the studio machine following up one of the most profitable horror releases of all time, it’s still one hell of a long-winded disappointment.
The Nun II starts off promising enough. The 1950s France setting is gorgeous from start to finish, giving the eye something to admire just about every step of the way. From its lively historical churches to its decrepit historical churches, the settings and landscapes are trying to be worth the price of admission. An opening scene and its subsequent kill gave me hope that this sequel was pulling off a feat that this cinematic universe has managed before—sequels stronger than their predecessors. Alas, that is not the case.
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Unlike Annabelle: Creation, this entry was unable to contain the scares in its own moody historical sandbox populated by a fleet of interesting young girls. And unlike Annabelle Comes Home, it refuses to have any fun with its silly source material, instead going full-serious from start to finish without much of a single wink. It’s a sequel film about a demonic Nun. Why do we have to be so goddamn serious?
The story here once again follows the adventures of Sister Irene, played stiffly by Taissa Farmiga. After the events of the first film, Sister Irene is sent by the Vatican to a boarding school in France where her cohort from the original movie is working as a groundskeeper. Of course, Valak, The Demon Nun, is back and ready to face off with our heroes once more. Sister Irene is tasked with defeating Valak, and the mystery of the demonic Nun is a vicious circle leading our ensemble of heroes into the depths of the aforementioned boarding school for girls.
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The girls’ school setting is a promising idea and a fun environment for scares and social dynamics. The Nun II is at its best when the young girls are bullying each other and being authentic young terrors. These secondary characters are fun to watch as they torture each other and eventually find themselves fighting for their lives against unknowable evils. But they don’t really have that much screen time, which is instead assigned to boring and unlikeable lead characters.
One notable newcomer to this chapter is nun Debra, who is played by rising star Storm Reid. Reid has already made a splash in genre film with her recent hit Missing, a very modern found footage thriller, where her talents and personality were put to good use. Transplanting Reid into 1950s France is a different story. There is nothing about her performance that reads historically accurate. In fact, she’s such an anachronistic sore thumb that it’s almost funny in moments. There’s just no way this person wasn’t alive during the 2008 financial crisis. While Reid is a noticeable fish out of water, at least she had more charisma than Farmiga, who’s always standing around with a furrowed brow as if waiting for someone to feed her a line.
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While the performances were lacking and the filmmaking was devoid of any personality, there are, in fact, a handful of scary moments that will give audiences something to celebrate. A recreation of the portrait scare from The Conjuring 2 is somewhat effective, if not a little reductive. And a few of the kills were definitely fun to witness with a crowd.
All in all, The Nun II is a prime example of what doesn’t work with The Conjuring Universe. These films are at their best when they are allowed to have a little bit of fun, even when the tone is serious, as was the case with Annabelle: Creation. When the budgets get too bloated, the personality and risk-taking are sucked out of the room with a Warner Brothers industrial-sized vacuum, leaving a safe, clean, and unremarkable horror snore in its wake. These films have the potential to be fun and excellent popcorn releases. Why weigh them down with self-seriousness and zero self-awareness? It’s a waste of a great opportunity to have fun with horror on a large scale.
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The Nun 2
Summary
‘The Nun 2’ is dull, uninspired, and, worst of all, devoid of any personality. It reeks of profitability and safety above all else.
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