Is The Nun II better than the original? Marginally. The acting is stronger, the pacing is tighter (110 minutes feels like 90), and it lacks the first film’s absurd "French soldier" subplot. But "marginally better than a bad movie" is not a recommendation.
Set in 1956, four years after the events of the first film, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is living a quiet life in a Italian convent, still haunted by her encounter with Valak, the demon nun. When a priest is murdered under mysterious, fiery circumstances in France, the church reluctantly asks Irene to investigate. She is paired with a novitiate named Sister Debra (Storm Reid), a skeptic who doubts faith as a weapon. Together, they track Valak across the French countryside, while Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet)—now going by "Maurice"—works at a boarding school, unaware that the demon has been stalking him for a new vessel. Is The Nun II better than the original
Fans of The Conjuring universe will find enough familiar iconography and loud jump scares to pass a rainy evening. Casual horror fans, however, will be bored. This is a film made by algorithm: beat-for-beat scares, franchise-baiting endings, and a protagonist who wins not through cleverness, but because the script says so. But "marginally better than a bad movie" is
After the billion-dollar success of The Conjuring franchise, Warner Bros. has committed to mining every shadow and crucifix for scares. The Nun II is the sequel no one strictly asked for but many expected. Following the disastrously goofy but financially successful 2018 original, this sequel attempts to correct course: less ridiculous backstory, more atmospheric dread. The result is a frustratingly uneven horror film that looks fantastic, sounds terrifying, but forgets to bring a coherent story or fresh ideas. She is paired with a novitiate named Sister
Director: Michael Chaves Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, Bonnie Aarons
Let’s give credit where it is due. Director Michael Chaves ( The Curse of La Llorona ) understands the visual language of the franchise. The cinematography is lush and gothic, utilizing deep reds, ecclesiastical golds, and impenetrable shadows. One sequence involving a newsprint labyrinth is genuinely inventive. The sound design remains top-tier: every creaking floorboard and whispered Latin prayer is dialed up to eleven.
Storm Reid’s character, Sister Debra, is a wasted opportunity. Introduced as a non-believer who thinks holy water is superstition, her arc is resolved in a single, unearned monologue. She exists purely to ask questions the audience already knows and to scream "Irene, look out!"