Insidious and aggravating

Rating: 5/10 (14 September 2013)

I'll give James Wan and Leigh Whannell credit for one achievement in Insidious: Chapter 2; if nothing else, at least they didn't mail it in.
When it comes to plotting, some follow ups are pure repeats of their predecessors, but for Insidious, Wan and Whannell have managed to build upon some of the makings of the first instalment. In doing so, they have shed a little bit of light into the darker and unexplained portions of the Lambert family's story, and elect to give it the conclusion that the characters deserve; a noble development in a genre where the audience is often un concerned about what becomes of protagonists. Here, unfortunately is where the success of Chapter 2 ends.
The second Insidious is one of those films where you can't immediately decide whether it features too much story material, or too little. There is a lot going on in this film, but none of it ever seems to have a focal point. It is a dense film, chaotic and rushed, it features too many figures (both living and dead), flirts occasionally with the dangers of triple timelines and gives its characters almost no breathing room. The film is more concerned with their back stories than it is with their present ones, leading me to think that Insidious: Chapter 2 may have actually worked better as a two hour feature. The climax is especially hectic, and disorienting because of it's pacing and choppy editing.
If this wasn't enough, Insidious: Chapter 2 is further crippled by its lack of genuine suspense. The movie is far less scary than it is borderline humorous. Even if Wan has once again respectably avoided copious bloodshed, There is no subtly in either the direction or the script, creating 'boo' moments that might cause laughter.
Insidious: Chapter 2, is a sequel that appeals because it promises to build upon its set up, rather than repeat it. Only occasionally does it fulfil this promise. I won't say it was an unnecessary sequel, but there is simply no way it should have been this disappointing.