ONE WORD: Nun II is a watchable horror flick with a fascinating climax.
REVIEW BY SAKTHIPRIYA KS
DURATION: 1 Hour 50 minutes.
DIRECTOR: Michael Chaves.
GENRE: Horror, Mystery & thriller
LANGUAGE: English
WRITER: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and Akela Cooper.
DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.Pictures.
STAR CAST: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet And Bonnie Aarons, putting back from the first film, Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell join the cast.
•POSITIVES:
1: Climax
2: Performance of actors
3: Cinematography
4: Editing
5: There are few good scary scenes
6: Good lighting techniques
7: The last twenty minutes of the movie is well executed.
•NEGATIVES:
1: Average Direction.
2: Half-baked screenplay.
3: Predictable story.
4: Slow paced beginning
5: The movie is lagging at many points.
6: Jump scare scenes felt ordinary.
•WHAT IS THE STORY OF NUN II:
THE NUN II is the anecdote of a demon that brings up her unpleasing dome once again. A sequel of shocking slayings takes place in various pastorates in Western Europe on a time of four years after the occurrences of the foremost part. In the city of France named Tarascon, Father Noiret (Pascal Aubert) will be dead due to the demon burning him alive. The Pope appeals to Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to probe for the demon behind the murders as the church supposes that Valak( Bonnie Aarons) has returned and they acknowledge that Sister Irene has triumphed over the demon Valak already. Irene is accompanied by Sister Debra (Storm Reid) and they travel to Tarascon to encounter the demon behind the murders. Furthermore, Maurice aka Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) comes down to a boarding school in Europe and works as a housekeeper where he acquires an affinity with an immature pupil named Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey) and her mom Kate (Anna Popplewell) in which Kate is also a teacher in that same boarding school. Strangely many things commence in the boarding school and all those will be correlated with Maurice. What occurs following, sets up the rest of the movie.
DETAIL REVIEW:
1: IS THE MOVIE GOOD:
As a die-hard fan of the Conjuring franchise, I had my doubts about Nun II because of the disappointing installment of Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. However, I must say that my final verdict of NUN II is somewhere in the middle – it’s not terrible, but it’s not amazing either. The movie starts off slow, and I found myself struggling to get fully engaged in the beginning. But as the plot thickens, the pace picks up, and some fascinating aspects of the Christian religion and the devil’s role in it come into play. The last twenty minutes of the movie are where it really shines. The climax is entirely compelling, and the horror elements will have you on the edge of your seat. However, the predictability of the movie is a major issue, and the screenplay could have been better. I found it a little difficult to watch the movie until the last twenty minutes because of the lag and slow-paced making. But overall, Nun II can be considered if you’re a fan of the Conjuring franchise.
2: DIRECTION:
Michael Chaves’ highly anticipated Nun II has finally hit the screens. However, before you get too excited, let me tell you that Chaves’ previous work, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, was a bit of a letdown. The positive factor in Chaves’ direction is that he tried to avoid the routine formula of a supernatural horror movie. He gave equal importance to the storyline and scary scenes, offering the components for a watchable supernatural movie. However, the slow-paced making style from the beginning till the mid of the movie made it difficult for the thrilling and scary scenes to find the pace to make the viewing engaging. The movie lagged in many areas, and the incidents that led to the main plotline didn’t have the actual content to attract us.
The scary scenes at the beginning were poor, and Chaves should have focused more on bringing more authentic scenes. As a movie that comes from the Conjuring franchise, Nun II must have the ability to make us thrilled and scared, but it fell short in creating an initial influence. However, the direction of Michael Chaves was getting momentum from the mid-half, and the movie was giving the atmosphere of fear and horror darkness. The climax is the biggest positive of Nun II, and the direction of Michael Chaves was brilliant in the end. The visuals looked stunning, and the horror scenes were pleasing to the eyes.
The scenes of Demon Goat and its buildup scenes till the first appearance had made the right impact. The climax had many appealing visuals of Valak, and its hunt for the eyes of Saint Lucy was thrilling. The horror atmosphere in the climax was amazingly directed by Michael Chaves because I was able to feel the premise of a supernatural happening. The ending was satisfying, and the arrangements of the set made for the climax also looked authentic. If Michael Chaves had given more focus to the beginning of the film, then Nun II would have turned into one of the best films in the franchise.
3:STORY & SCREENPLAY:
Nun II suffered from a major issue of predictability, which deprived the storyline of any surprising elements. This made the viewing experience dull and easily understandable, leaving no room for excitement. The horror emotions in the screenplay were average, failing to create the mood of fear and thrill. The poorly written horror scenes in the beginning and the misplaced situations made it feel like just another horror movie. Even the appearance of Valak failed to create an atmosphere of horror.
The makers overlooked the importance of providing explicit information regarding the location, which posed a challenge in determining the whereabouts of each character. This should have been considered while writing the screenplay. However, the developments in the plot towards the end were interesting, with the portions of Saint Lucy and Demon Goat making the viewing experience more exciting. The scenes of Valak intending to get the eyes of Saint Lucy to obtain divine power were effectively portrayed in the screenplay. The reason was convincing, and the scenes of Valek in the climax were scary and attention-grabbing.
•SO WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT NUN II:
1: The director of the film tried his best to avoid the routine formula of a supernatural horror thriller.
2: The last 20 minutes of the movie are thrilling with the best horror elements.
3: The story towards the end created a curiosity and the things related to Christianity and demons shown in the film were interesting.
4: The lighting techniques and the cinematography of the film are impressive.
5: The background score had the strength to create the mood of horror and fear especially towards the last 20 minutes.
6: The editing cuts were nice and the performance of the actors looked realistic.
7: The VFX work in the climax was great and it had the right appealing visuals.
8: The post-credit scenes in the film which opened the way for Conjuring 4 felt promising.
9: The scenes of Valak intending to get the eyes of Saint Lucy to obtain a divine power were effective.
•SO WHAT’S WENT WRONG IN NUN II:
1: The screenplay of the film doesn’t make a proper impact and till the last twenty minutes the screenplay doesn’t have the strength to make us fully engaging.
2: The direction was average because, from the beginning till the mid-half, the movie struggled to find the right pace and lagged in many areas.
3: The screenplay was also like a half-baked cake because the character development of the major characters looks ordinary.
4: Till the climax, what’s going to happen next is easily predictable so the plot writing should have been better.
5: The major supernatural horror scenes in the film don’t scare much, only a few scary scenes are properly worked.
6: The portions of bullying school girls felt cliche.
7: The movie from the beginning moves in slow so the beginning of the film moves in a slow-paced manner.
•HOW ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE & TECHNICAL QUALITY IN NUN II:
Taissa Farmiga delivered an absolutely stunning performance that exuded a raw and realistic appeal. Her acting prowess was the driving force behind the film, and her portrayal in the climax was nothing short of outstanding. With effortless ease, she conveyed the facial expressions of fear, leaving the audience feeling the intensity of the moment. Her handling of the character of Valak was nothing short of exciting to watch, as she faced every obstacle with confidence and skill. Bonnie Aarons was equally terrifying as Valak, with her fearful outlook and expressions leaving a lasting impression. Jonas Bloquet’s authentic portrayal and outlook were notable, particularly in the scenes where he was possessed. His chemistry with Katelyn Rose Downey was a definite plus factor in Nun II, with her intense acting and facial expressions adding to the overall experience. Anna Popplewell and Storm Reid also delivered solid performances, showcasing their acting abilities with great skill.
The cinematography of The Nun II was nothing short of excellent, with every frame and shot in the climax being a true work of art. The lighting techniques used in the film created the perfect ambience of darkness and horror. The closeup frames of actress Bonnie Aarons were particularly effective in creating fear in many areas. The locations in the film were precise and the arrangements made for the ultimate climax were absolutely fascinating to watch. The editing was also crisp and seamless, with no issues of mismatches between scenes. The background score in the film had the perfect impact for the horror scenes, with the BGM having the strength to make us fear. The make-up given to the supernatural characters looked incredibly realistic, and their costumes were equally authentic. Overall, The Nun II was a true masterpiece of horror cinema, with every aspect of the film coming together to create an unforgettable experience.
•OVERALL:
So overall Nun II has given me a watchable experience and I’m not fully disappointed with the output of Nun II. The climax is the major winning highlight of Nun II and the stunning visuals of the climax will definitely thrill you. The storyline was interesting but the screenplay writing was like a half-baked cake because the movie has slow-paced making. If you are a fan of the Conjuring franchise then you can book the tickets for Nun 2 but it will be better to watch with moderate expectations.
VERDICT: A watchable horror movie with a brilliant climax.
RATING: 3/5
A Review by Sakthipriya. KS
