The Nun II Movie Review: A Conjuring Spinoff that Falls Flat with Predictable Scares and a Jumbled Plot! (LatestLY Exclusive)

The Nun II Movie Review: While watching The Nun II, I got this distinct feeling that the makers were trying their best to scrap the bottom of the barrel to even come up with something interesting. After the disaster that was The Nun, it felt like you couldn’t go anywhere but up from there, and even then, did The Nun II try its best to match the quality of its predecessors with a story so disjointed that there isn’t a clear point as to why the film exists. The Nun 2 New Poster: Michael Chaves' Film Set to Haunt Theaters on September 7 (View Pic).

Directed by Michael Chaves, The Nun II is set four years after the events of the first film and sees Valak, the demonic nun, return and possess the body of Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet). As dead bodies start turning up mysteriously, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) must once again investigate the situation which brings her face-to-face for a final time.

One notable aspect of The Nun II is the absence of a clear rationale for how the film fits into the broader Conjuring universe. While it is undeniably a sequel, it fails to leave a lasting impact or convey significant implications from its events. This deficiency is primarily attributable to the film's overall lack of excitement, as it never offers a compelling reason for its occurrences. Consequently, it ends up feeling like an unwarranted addition to a franchise that has already begun to wane in its appeal.

In this sequel, we witness the return of the two principal characters from the previous installment, Irene and Frenchie. However, they each embark on separate narratives, which results in a disjointed storyline. Irene is summoned by the church to investigate the reappearance of Valak, while Frenchie serves as the caretaker of an all-girls boarding school in Romania and becomes possessed by the demonic force. This division in the plot gives the impression of watching two distinct stories simultaneously, despite the solid performances delivered by the actors.

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Irene's storyline, in particular, appears weak, especially considering the substantial amount of time she spends entangled in a wild goose chase throughout The Nun II. Paired with Storm Reid's portrayal of Sister Debra, who is sadly underutilised in the film, Irene's narrative comes across as notably lackluster and unengaging. In contrast, Frenchie's story carries some depth, as it forms the crux of the narrative and the source of most of the film's frights. It's somewhat more enjoyable to follow. Nonetheless, even his storyline contains several underdeveloped elements, such as a romance with one of the boarding school's teachers, portrayed by Anna Popplewell, and his friendship with her daughter, Sophie, played by Katelyn Rose Downey.

Even Bonnie Aarons, portraying the titular Nun, is given little to do in the film. Her presence is severely limited, and the once terrifying demonic antagonist ends up feeling more like a prop relegated to cheap jump scares. Michael Chaves on The Nun 2: It’s like a Little Bit of a Throwback to Dracula, Pennywise from IT and Nosferatu.

The Nun II fails to elicit fear, serving as a testament to the film's lack of originality in how it orchestrates its scares. Nearly every scare follows the same pattern: a shadowy figure emerging, only for the protagonist to narrowly escape with their life intact. Beyond a certain point, it becomes more of an annoyance than a source of genuine suspense.

Final Thoughts

The Nun II is another lackluster spinoff in The Conjuring franchise. While it does put forward some solid performances, there is no denying that this a disjointed film with repetitive scares that fails to leave an impact. The Nun II is playing in theatres right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2023 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).