In 2013, a horror film called The Conjuring premiered to rave reviews, and it was a box office hit. It has since become a highly profitable franchise, spanning nine movies. Its most recent is the sequel to 2018’s hit Gothic horror, The Nun. This new instalment from The Conjuring Universe, uncreatively called The Nun 2, is directed by Michael Chaves, whose previous work within the franchise includes Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Where can you watch The Nun 2 in the UAE?
The Nun 2 is currently playing in cinemas across the UAE, such as VOX Cinema and Reel Cinemas.
The Nun 2 review
THE GOOD
+ Great third act
+ Atmospheric
+ Some cool jump scares
THE BAD
– Boring
– Bad acting
– Incoherent plot
Several years after the events in the first movie, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) lives in a covenant in rural Italy, and Maurice (Jonas Bloquet) is the groundskeeper at a boarding school overseen by Madame Laurent (Suzanne Bertish) in France. At first, Maurice’s new life seems somewhat ideal as the young traveller has grown close to teacher Kate and her student daughter, the outcast Sophie.
While Irene seems to have moved on after facing the demon Valak, she’s still plagued by nightmares and horrifying visions. One such vision is of Maurice, unknowingly possessed, asking for her help. One day, the Cardinal (David Horovitch) visits Irene and informs her that Valak has returned and is attacking seemingly random nuns and priests.
At the boarding school, the demon is gradually making her presence known and seems to have completely taken over the building. It’s now up to Irene and her new friend, the somewhat rebellious Sister Debra, to find out what the Demon wants and (hopefully) vanquish it for good.
Formulaic horror
The Nun 2 is probably the least scary horror film from the franchise. It’s atmospheric, yes. There are the obligatory jump scares, and the characters keep walking down dark alleys for no good reason. The whole feature is so formulaic you’ll know what’s about to happen after watching the first five minutes.
This movie is the perfect example of style over substance. While it looks good, it lacks heart, story, and character development. Everyone who isn’t Sister Irene is a one-dimensional prop.
While horror isn’t the genre where Oscar-worthy performances thrive, the acting in The Nun 2 is beyond terrible. Aside from Storm Reid and Taissa Farmiga, who do the best with the script they’ve been given, the performances are robotic and superficial.
As for the story, it wasn’t the most coherent. When the Cardinal talks to Irene and shows her a series of gory photos, he’s eating a lavish meal. Who can get an appetite going while looking at those pictures? Are we supposed to believe the Cardinal is connected to the Demon?
There’s a scene where Irene learns that her hotel reservation didn’t go through. The film portrays this as a huge conflict that upsets the lead to no end. Yet, it gets resolved off-screen with no further mention of it. Several demon attack scenes have nothing to do with the main plot but were included in the final cut.
While the first and second acts are quite boring and even frustrating, the movie does pick up in the third. The final confrontation is fast-paced and exciting. However, by the time audiences reach the “good bits,” some may have fallen asleep in their cinema seats.
What are other critics saying about The Nun 2 (Video Reviews):
Chris Stuckmann thought The Nun 2 was a better movie than the first.
Austin Burke praised the “inventive scares” but thought the first two acts were quite boring.
3C Films likes the third act, but felt the movie was mostly “formulaic and average.”
