The Conjuring 2 (2016)
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The Conjuring 2 Movie Review
The Conjuring 2 is a 2016 horror film directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. It is such a good, really respectable sequel.
Let’s first talk about the plot because once again the movie really shines in that department. The film follows The Enfield Case in 1977. The two investigators come to assist the Hodgson family who are experiencing poltergeist activity in their house. Now of course this is similar to the first film, but I liked the change in setting as we move to London, England for this movie. And I liked how the film is again very well crafted and although the first act is pretty weak, the remainder of the movie fixed that and it was great.
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“Valak! In the power of God,
Jesus and the holy spirit,
I condemn you back to hell!“
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The reason why the plot here is so good and even commendable is because it introduced a good mystery to it. I just loved its mystery and, without spoiling anything, I loved how the ghosts and the major demon villain arranged everything and I loved the twist. I also really enjoyed the various clues and how Lorraine solved the problem, that was all so well done.
I liked the new family quite a bit and they are almost on par with the previous family. Peggy is so relatable and I just really felt sorry for Janet and I liked how she got the significant amount of running time and her dialogue scene with Lorraine was so moving. I also was intrigued by Maurice’s character who is the man who wants to have a breakthrough discovery and I get that which is why he was interesting to me. And Anita Gregory’s role as a skeptic was much needed after the previous movie’s reluctance to go into that territory. As for the Warrens, they are again absolutely fantastic and such a wonderful couple. I loved their relationship here and how they always finish the case on an optimistic note and how that further strengthens their already very strong relationship.
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The Conjuring 2 is a scary movie. When comparing it to the first ‘Conjuring’, it is of course much weaker and much less original and it is also never as frightening, but it still does pack a few very good scares that were chilling. The tent scene is amazing and Billy is such a strong presence. Of course the nun is so creepy and the crooked man is not only terrifying, but also visually intriguing and authentic. I loved how the movie featured many different spirits and demons and that added to a lot of variety.
The Conjuring 2 is a good movie, but far from a great one as it has some very obvious flaws in it. As I mentioned before, the first act is just so weak. It is not only awfully dragging, but also uneventful, dull and somewhat uninspired. It really took its time to get there, but that time should have been used on some good build-up, but was instead wasted. Vera Farmiga is good, but I found Wilson’s performance weaker this time around. And although the movie is very well crafted, it still lacked momentum at times and didn’t quite use all of its spirits to its fullest advantage.
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The score is once again excellent and the sound effects are so effective in their creepiness. Visually, the film is a bit too dark, but still it features expectedly superb camera movements. The dialogue is great and once again we get some really emotional sequences that lift the movie to greater heights. The scary scenes were mostly well executed and I just loved its spiritual themes, the use of the Bible in its plot as well as the presence of a skeptic. And the entire plot point where Janet seemingly faked an incident was the highlight to me as it was so smart and brilliantly put together. The film is mostly really well paced and it is incredibly entertaining which is admirable for its very long running time of slightly over two hours. It is a memorable, mostly satisfying film and a very commendable horror sequel.
The Conjuring 2 isn’t as scary or as authentic as its predecessor and its first act is weak, but the rest of the movie is so great and mostly very satisfying. It has many good creepy moments, it is again emotional and very well acted, directed and crafted, but the highlight is its story with such a good mystery to it, some interesting themes and an excellent use of all the different spirits and demons that add to a much needed variety and authenticity in its scares. It is in the end a very good film and an exceptionally strong horror sequel.
My Rating – 4
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