Review: 'The Nun II' is radically better than its predecessor but doesn't deliver with the scares

The Nun II

The Conjuring universe continues to expand in ways no one anticipated it would. Being the ninth film in the beloved horror universe, The Nun II is also the sequel to The Nun, which arrived five years ago. And that is the thing about these films: in spite of there being a five-year gap between the two films, it never feels that long owing to how there is some of the other film coming in attached to the world of Conjuring. In this sequel, we have sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) set to have yet another showdown with the demonic force, Valak (Bonnie Aarons) - this time in a boarding school in France.

Is it better than its predecessor? Is it finally a 'good horror film'? Having had the chance to see the film before its release today in India, here is what I thought about that might help answer the above questions-

Better Than Its Predecessor

Straight off the bat, The Nun II is exponentially better than its predecessor, The Nun. Granted, the dismal critical reaction to the 2018 film isn't a tall order to live up to, but to The Nun II's credit, it isn't just better than the first one but is so by a long mile. It also helps that you are much more invested and concerned about Sister Irene this time around, owing to how there is now a history with it. Irene is the survivor of the instance when the demon marked its victim and made an entry; her own mother was involved in this saga of being the person who was sent to control the demonic force but was never the same again, Irene being a lot more ferocious than she was in the first instalment and other things - the threads tied to her character and the new ones seem a lot more complete and actually intriguing than they were earlier.

Jump Scares? - Meh!

The biggest uphill task for any filmmaker who is directing a horror film seems to be working with the essential element of the said film - the scares. More and more 'scary' films come, but seldom are any able to create the terror and edge-of-the-seat experience that some legendary films did. In fact, the sole reason people loved the first two Conjurings is because of how masterfully director James Wan understood the need for decent jump scares around a half-decent plot. But with The Nun II, the jump scares are predictable, unimpactful and just meh! To director Michael Chaves' credit, there are a couple of innovative moments that are designed to startle you, and they do, but overall, the scares barely leave any impact. Just like in a commercial potboiler, the 'commercial' aspect needs to be the main element; if the scares aren't scaring you enough in a scary film, that is scary in a very different way (see what I did there?)

Brighter New Additions

The extreme relief that I had as I was making my way into the film several minutes was how, thankfully, it was 'brighter'. If you are perplexed as to why I said that - the ones who have seen The Nun would relate. It was almost unbearable to see just how dark the first film was and how much that played a role in the viewing experience. Apart from that, the many additions to the cast this time are also a huge plus. The likes of Storm Reid as Irene's colleague and partner-in-crime to Taissa Farmiga and the ensemble cast of young teenage girls playing the students at the boarding school all add to the mood of the film, thus being more impactful than it could have been.

Underwhelming Final Act

In spite of jump scares not landing and the setting not really adding much to the atmosphere, the story and how the ties were binding to each other was the only hook for me. It was turning out to be a rather interesting back-and-forth tale of Irene and her past and now saving Maurice and Sophie. But alas, the final act of the film was almost borderline laughable and in an attempt to go big with the moments, it ends up being a ponder as to what and why! The build-up to one moment of suspense ends up being extremely unsatisfying, and the 'solution' - is questionable.

The Verdict

The Nun II ends up being a passable watch in the end but does enjoy the liberty of being an improved film from the first instalment. Whether or not it is a worthy addition to the Conjuring universe, one can debate, but it continues to set things up for future films.

Also, there is a post-credit scene as well!

Rating - *** (3/5)