"The Conjuring 2" review

Rating: 4/10 (12 June 2016)

James Wan is back to direct a second tale depicting paranormal researchers/ghost hunters Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren. But is it as scary as "The Conjuring"? Synopsis: In the 1970's Ed and Lorraine travel to England to investigate a haunting which locals refer to as London's Amityville.
The Good: For the first hour, "The Conjuring 2" does almost everything right. Even though director James Wan essentially uses the same horror buildup's, which lead to the same jump-scares and thus the same cranked up to 11 horror musical cues, that he always does; he does it all so well many may argue that Wan has created his own official horror style; a style which holds the highest rate of effectiveness in the genre. It's as though with every movie he's teaching a master-class in cookie-cutter horror direction, but does it better and more effectively than anyone working today.
The Bad: Little by little, there emerges this love story aspect between Ed and Lorraine. This love story is pushed along by some of the worst dialogue I've heard outside of a Harlequin romance. As this aspect moves to the forefront of the story, it becomes more cringe-inducing, reaching the point where every time Ed and Lorraine pause, turn and tell each other something unbearably lovey dovey, I couldn't help but imagine that the latter half of "The Conjuring 2" would essentially be the movie Nicholas Sparks would make if he tried his hand at the horror film genre.
Along with said love story, there also emerged another questionable aspect which stops this film dead in its tracks time and time again. "The Conjuring 2" becomes a religious film; or at least contains a very religious undertone. I understand that movies dealing with hauntings and exorcisms go hand in hand with priest and bible verses, but this is different. I would almost liken the religious undertones this film takes on to movies like "Do You Believe?", "Fireproof" or "Courageous"; films which seem like dramatic genre pieces, but end up morphing into Sunday School lessons. This aspect isn't a bad thing, on face value. But much like the love story aspect, wholesome religious rhetoric seems way out of place in a film of this nature.
That said, there will be many who will be able to look past the sappiness and the Sunday School level preaching. But even if that's the case, screenwriter Carey Hayes has one more surprise in store for those who reach the 2 hour mark; an ending which in its own right is idiotically simplistic, but whose explanation is so convoluted that as it begins, I looked down at the time and recoiled in horror at how long I'd been sitting there.
Final Thought: Do you remember "Insidious: Chapter 2"? I don't and (looking back on my article) I gave it a positive review. That's what "The Conjuring 2" is. Even if you enjoy this overlong British version of its predecessor (just with more religious asides and a painfully sappy Hallmark inspired love story crowbarred in) at the end of the day it'll still be a forgettable film.