The Conjuring 2 Review

The Conjuring 2 is the sequel to the hugely successful The Conjuring. It is once again directed by James Wan and stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. This time around the Warrens head to Enfield, England to help a family that is being haunted by an unknown entity.

The Conjuring 2 is really good, which surprises me since horror sequels tend to suck. James Wan once again proves that he knows how to make not just a good horror film, but a good film in general. Every single shot here has a purpose. The way the camera moves, the sound, everything works to build up tension throughout the film. The first half of the film is consistently scary, with even the daytime scenes being full of tension and suspense. The second half is still very scary, but there are scenes that focus on the characters. I loved this scenes as much as the scary ones because of how well written they were. It made me care for everyone in the film, and added something that most horror films lack: heart.

The acting is superb, but I do want to give major props to Madison Wolfe, who plays the main girl in the film. If she had had done a bad job the film would not have worked at all, specially since she is the girl who gets possessed in the film. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have great chemistry, and have some very sweet moments that you normally don't see in a film like this.

I do have a couple of negatives though. There is a little bit more reliance on jump scares. They are earned though since the tension is built up throughout every scene, but I would have liked less like in the first film. My other complaint is the fact that the ending isn't too scary or intense. It also doesn't make too much sense since it tries to connect the main storyline with the Lorraine Warren storyline, and it didn't work for me.

The Conjuring 2 is definitely a must watch. It is scary throughout, and it also has great characters and heart. I hope they make a third one as long as James Wan is directing, because he has definitely proven that he can make a damn good horror film that isn't just scary, but also filled with heart and memorable characters. 4/5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to 2014s' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The film is directed by Dave Green and stars Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, and Will Arnett. This time the turtles come into conflict with T.C.R.I. scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman and the return of their enemy, The Shredder, who has hired Stockman to create mutants of his own in the form of Bebop and Rocksteady to even the score, during which the Turtles discover a Retro-Mutagen in hopes they can become humans following an extraterrestrial invasion above New York City led by the Dimension X inhabitant known as Krang.

I wasn't a fan of the last turtles movie. The film focused way too much on Megan Fox and the turtles felt like suporting characters, which was a shame since they were very entertaining to watch whenever they were on screen. Thankfully that problem is fixed here. The turtles are the main characters this time around, which makes the experience much more entertaining. There are a ton of new characters in this film. Casey Jones, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady are all new additions. Unfortunately Casey Jones was completely forced in. He has nothing to do in the film, and is used in a more comedic manner which will probably not please fans of the character. Krang is only in a couple of scenes. He is introduced in the weirdest possible way, coming out of nowhere. Nothing is explained about him, and only die hard fans will really get it. He isn't menacing either, with the finale being a letdown. Bebop and Rocksteady though were very entertaining, and were good additions to the film.

Returning are the turtles, which were as entertaining as the last time. Megan Fox is back as April O'Neil. She tries to play a smart girl here, but I just did not buy it for a second. She just can't pull off a role like this. Shredder is also thrown in here, but for no reason whatsoever. He is also completely wasted and never actually felt like Shredder. Splinter is back too, but as with most of the characters here he is also wasted. There was some potential for some good moments between Splinter and the Turtles, but the film never truly has that moment. It tries, but it is fairly simple stuff.

The action was alright, nothing really special here. The best sequences were the ones involving Bebop and Rocksteady. Other than that the action in this movie felt kind of meh. There are also some inconsistencies with the first film that are really hard to ignore. There's the fact that the Turtles will never fight crime in plain daylight, even when the finale of the first movie happened during plain daylight.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows will surely entertain kids, and maybe die hard fans. I don't really see any one else fully enjoying this film since there isn't anything that's really good about it, but nothing that is truly bad either. It just falls in the average category. You'll probably forget it after a week. 2.5/5