 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: The Nun • Year: 2018 • Country: USA • Director: Corin Hardy • Main cast: Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, Bonnie Aarons, Jonas Bloquet • Runtime: 96 minutes • Production company: Atomic Monster,New Line Cinema,The Safran Company • TRAILER |
It is finally here. One of the most awaited scary movies of the year is coming out this weekend. The Nun (2018) a new spin-off for The Conjuring series, as were the 2 Annabelle movies and as will be the upcoming Crooked Man. So let’s see what we find here.
I have to admit that although for me The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016) are very good and scary horror movies, with Ed and Lorraine Warren being very strong and well-built characters, I never liked the Annabelle movies, nor the first one or the sequel. That’s why I was a little skeptic about The Nun (2018). The character of this evil nun named Valak appeared for the first time in The Conjuring 2 (2016) and although that appearance was brief it surely left a shocking impression. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that both the filmmakers and the audience wanted to know more about the origins of that cursed spirit. And here is when the disappointments start again.
The Nun (2018) is about an experienced priest and a young nun novice sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania. A simple start point that sadly won’t develop much. In my opinion, the possibilities for a tasty story surrounding the origins of the evil nun Valak had a much bigger potential than what we see on the screen. In fact, for me the script is the weakest point in The Nun (2018). The screenplay was written by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote the 2 Annabelle films and is already working on the third of the devil doll spin-off series. It was based on a story by Dauberman and James Wan, the creator of The Conjuring universe. And Corin Hardy, an experienced music video director but with not a very long career as a moviemaker has been in charge to direct this movie. One can have the feeling that the weak story and screenplay, together with the inexperience of the director, are the reason why The Nun (2018) will never be a memorable title as the original The Conjuring films are. Also, most of the action happens in one location, inside of a creepy old castle and its abbey. That brings a feeling of a cat-and-mouse game between the church people and the evil spirits that at some points becomes ridiculous and most of the time boring. Too many predictable frights and a zillion times have seen tricks to fill up the running time.
But not everything is a weakness in The Nun (2018). If something outstands before the rest are the impressive settings and scenarios, and the very dark cinematography that totally drag the audience into the sordid environment of the movie. What the filmmakers didn’t manage to achieve with the storytelling it has been mastered by the technical side. The music, as atmospheric as dark religious, does nothing but to help the creepy spirit of the film to increase. Bonnie Aarons as the evil nun Valak is simply terrifying, and the star duo formed by Taissa Farmiga and Demián Bichir perform in a measured and credible way. Their acting performances show the amount of frightness or coldness each moment of the movie deserve, to be perfect acting tools at the service of the final story.
Thanks to the final climax of The Nun (2018), what one will remember about this movie is the fact that it’s a decent piece of entertainment. Surely it’s more like a juvenile product than a hardcore horror movie, since most of the frights won’t work anymore to someone who has spent decades of their lifes watching horror films. If it was a stand-alone movie it would not matter much and but be instantly forgotten, but as a spin-off for something as intense as The Conjuring series I think the filmmakers really missed the chance to do something that would really bring more depth into the global story telling of the saga.
Recommendable, although not unmissable, if you are a big fan of The Conjuring universe, but you won’t miss much if you don’t care about these sort of films.
RATE: 6/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5814060
