A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Nun II” (2023).
I’ve just about caught up with the cinema films I’ve missed due to my recent holiday: “The Nun II” was the last of the easily accessible ones! And it’s another sequel where I didn’t see the original… but again, it really didn’t matter.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is called back into service by the Vatican to face the demonic presence she thought she had defeated in Romania. But a trail of bizarre clerical deaths has been tracked across Europe from Romania into France. The trail leads to an old monastery, now a girl’s boarding school in Aix en Provence. The head-gardener and handyman there, Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), is the hero from the original drama, having saved Irene’s life. But he is clearly no longer alone in his own body.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong horror, violence, bloody images”.).
Talent:
Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, Bonnie Aarons, Katelyn Rose Downey.
Directed by: Michael Chaves.
Written by: Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing & Akela Cooper. (Based on characters created by James Wan & Gary Dauberman).
Twitter Handle: #thenunmovie.
Sister Irene (L, Taissa Farmiga) finding chasing demons is getting to be a nasty habit. With Sister Debra (Storm Reid), new to the game. (Source: New Line Cinema)
“The Nun II” Review:
Positives:
- There are some entertaining horror vignettes within the movie. One (shown in part in the trailer) of a news-stand with magazine pages flicking over in the wind is particularly effective.
- I actually thought the denouement was quite clever. It earned the film an extra half-star in the rating.
- Taissa Farmiga (sister of Vera, if you were wondering) and Storm Reid are both very effective as the dynamic nun-duo. Good performances from both. (I didn’t actually recognise Storm Reid in this until the end-titles: she was the lead of course in the excellent “Missing” from earlier in the year).
- There is some nice cinematography (director of photography Tristan Nyby) of moody French streets in the 1950’s.
- Also a final nod to Bonnie Aarons who plays the Demon Nun very well, albeit without requiring a lot of range. I kept thinking, “she’s probably somebody’s granny… what would the grandkids make of this?!”
Negatives:
- It’s a pretty by-the-book horror film: on a par with this year’s “Pope’s Exorcist” but without the fun presence of Russell Crowe. I wasn’t scared once, since all of the jump scares are so well signposted by the director’s shot choices and by Marco Beltrami’s score.
- It all gets a bit loopy. While Irene is digging up the eyes (don’t ask!) the Nun who was previously all over that gloomy chapel, decides inexpicably to take a break and a Kit-Kat! Also, for reasons unexplained, as well as the mad Nun-on-the-run we get a mad Goat-on-the-run too! (Pop Quiz: in what other film did a stained glass window transform into a protagonist? First to answer in the comment wins an imaginary beer token!) The Nun and the Goat seem to be completely unrelated, running around different bits of the building. (And what happened to the goat in the end?? Made into a nice spicy curry?)
- Some of the internal shots are so dark as to make working out what’s going on quite difficult at times. In fact (as I was in an empty cinema by this time) I moved from row F to the back row so that I could get to see the whole screen within my field of vision so I didn’t miss stuff.
Monkeys?
There is a mid-credit monkey featuring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, linking this film back to its “Conjuring” film series roots.
Summary Thoughts on “The Nun II”
I was one of three people in my matinee screening for this movie. That reduced to just me, since the couple at the back walked out after 30 minutes. Not a good sign! But (unlike “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3“) I didn’t feel like walking out of this one: I was engaged enough to see how it rolled out. But it’s not a classic horror. At least with a mad devil goat on the run, I was never gored! (Sorry!)
In summary, it passed a couple of agreeable horror hours in the cinema, but this one is eminently missable.
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Trailer for “The Nun II”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF-oyCwaArU .
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