The Nun

 The latest film in the Conjuring universe (Conjurverse, as fans call it) is billed as "the darkest chapter". It features the character that was made popular in the 2nd Conjuring film, the demon Valak dressed like a Nun that terrorized Lorraine.

 I've been a fan of the Conjurverse since the 1st film. I can say that out of the 5 films, this is the weakest one. Yeah, I even enjoyed Annabelle more than this, and that film was pretty weak (though Annabelle: Creation was surprisingly good). While this film does tie in nicely with the 1st Conjuring film, the plot and story are just haphazardly put together, resulting in a film that's low on tension and scares and could've benefited from a tighter script and better direction.

James Wan did not direct this film and it shows. He has proven to be a talented horror director, starting 3 series that are still going today (the other 2 being Saw and Insidious). While the 1st Insidious film had moments that were over the top, in the hands of a lesser director, that film could've fallen apart easily so many times, but Wan had a way to not let the wilder aspects of that story get away, resulting in a consistently effective flick.

 The Conjuring was a huge hit, and so another series was born. Unfortunately, one of the most memorable characters that came from that series got a mediocre deal for their feature film. The sets were nice, the acting (in particular Taissa Farmiga) was good. But what killed a lot of it was that the plot tended to drag along, going to various points but not in an effective way. It was neither confusing nor intriguing (like in a David Lynch film), it just was there, with not much effort. The other things that didn't work is that it seemed to try too hard to be scary, relying more on jump scares and shocking moments instead of taking it's time to build tension. Wan has shown a great ability to balance in-your-face shocks with less-is-more style, but this director just isn't up to par.

 

The other thing that doesn't work is the moments of humor, that simply come off as forced and take you out of the film. The character of Frenchie was actually one of the biggest problems, his comedy relief moments came off as forced and silly. There were also aspects of the story that could've been explored further, such as Father Burke and Sister Irene's past (he's haunted by a failed exorcism of a young boy, she had visions as a child). These ideas are presented in a bland and simple fashion, where they could've utilized these ideas to really build more moments of dread. And finally, the character of the Nun, the demon Valak, doesn't really get a lot of screen time. When she does show up she's just there, not really creepy or menacing like she was in Conjuring 2.

 



With the news that James Wan will NOT be directing the 3rd Conjuring film, I'm starting to get nervous that it might end up tanking. Yes, this film is currently making money at the box office, but it's just not a very good film. I imagine that years later, when people reminisce about the Conjurverse, this film will not instantly come to mind as being memorable. I was unimpressed and felt that Valak deserved a better movie. Maybe the proposed sequel will get it right like Annabelle's did.