The Nun II does nearly every part proper. It continues the story of its predecessor in a logical however thrilling means; ups the ante when it comes to scares, gore, and stakes; and even provides some attention-grabbing mythology to its world. Everything goes so nicely till… it isn’t. If this was a sports activities film, you’d say it fumbles on the one-yard line. As a horror film, you possibly can say it drives the stake in however misses the center.
When we final left the world of The Nun, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) had defeated the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) with the assistance and sacrifice of a native farmer named Maurice (Jonas Bloquet). But, within the remaining scene, we noticed that Valak wasn’t defeated. Instead, she transferred her essence to Maurice in an try to get out into the world. The Nun II picks that story up on each fronts. Maurice is now the handyman at an all-girls boarding faculty whereas Irene continues to reside her life within the church whereas holding her heroic previous a secret.
Using these two threads, the screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3gan), Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing (Fear the Walking Dead) is mainly structured as a detective story. Maurice’s story goes on about the way you’d anticipate it will if an evil demon was operating amok in a place with younger kids. Kids in peril, youngsters being assholes, plenty of mysterious creepy happenings, and so on. Meanwhile, after a sequence of horrific deaths, Irene is known as upon as soon as once more to seek out and cease the entity, this time with the assistance of the equally fearless and defiant Sister Debra (Storm Reid). As issues worsen and worse on the faculty, Debra and Irene slowly piece collectively Valek’s earlier exploits, all whereas dealing with their very own distinctive horrors alongside the way in which.
That easy, clear parallel construction does wonders for The Nun II and director Michael Chaves (no stranger to the Conjuring world, having directed The Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) retains issues shifting. One story provides us all of the scares and kills we wish, the opposite all of the depth and thriller we wish. Each bounces superbly off the opposite, creating pressure, drama, and concern. There are even hints of romance, because of a faculty instructor performed by Anna Popplewell, whose daughter Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey) befriends Maurice.
With all that on the desk, finally, the 2 tales come collectively and issues get taken up a notch. There are new terrors, new surprises, greater scares, and a few really gross, sick, superior stuff. This all works even higher as a result of the movie embraces and buys into Irene as an nearly superheroic demon slayer. We’re not fairly speaking Ash from Evil Dead, however that’s form of the vibe. Farmiga makes use of what you keep in mind of her character from the primary movie and evolves it to a entire new stage. Her confidence and presence as Irene elevate everybody round her to be able to’t assist however cheer as she faces down Valek in all method of how.
The drawback although, as talked about firstly, is that The Nun II doesn’t fairly know easy methods to finish. We received’t get into specifics right here however after a film that was so easy and digestible narratively, the finale looks like there have been six or seven completely different concepts, and as an alternative of simply selecting the perfect one, they tried to jam all of them in. The result’s a messy, complicated conclusion that dampens the remainder of the film. Also, the truth that different Conjuring films past The Nun II have proven this story from additional sooner or later undercuts a little bit of the finality.
To be truthful, the ending itself isn’t horrible. Out of these six or seven concepts, there are a few strong ones that assist make the climax really feel like a appropriate escalation of what’s come earlier than. Then there’s additionally the larger image to consider. That The Nun II—a horror sequel and the ninth movie in a bigger franchise—is nice in any respect is a minor miracle. You are inclined to forgive that it’s received a huge flaw, particularly in the event you’re a fan of this world. Plus, in the event you aren’t, you in all probability aren’t watching The Nun II within the first place. And so, in the end, thanks largely to its good simplicity and the lead efficiency of Taissa Farmiga, The Nun II does its job. It scares us. It delights us. It leaves us wanting extra, even when it doesn’t fairly stick the touchdown.
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…. to be continued
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