[usr 3]
A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.
“The Nun” follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) and Father Burke (Demián Bichir), investigating strange occurrences going on in an Abbey in Romania and discovering there is something more sinister going on with the demon Valak. Following the footsteps in the rest of “The Conjuring” Universe, it continues to weave the storyline within that universe.
I hate the fact that I have to write subpar words on this, I just want to say I was so hyped for it. I love “The Conjuring” Universe, James Wan, and Corin Hardy. This movie just didn’t work as well as it should have. For me it all started with the story, I think that the script is the big weak point of this film. Aside from this, there was so much going right, overall, so I will start with what I really liked first.
Director Corin Hardy did the absolute best with what he had to work with. The man is a great director and I would have loved to have seen what he could have done with a better script behind him. He delivers though, the atmosphere of this movie is fantastic and much of that is owed to Maxime Alexandre, the film’s cinematographer. Life was brought to this movie by Maxime and you get a full scope of the spooky aesthetic. I have to say this, it is one of the best shot horror films I have ever seen. The sound and score really just help this become much more sense-based as well. Lastly, Taissa Farmiga gives such a great performance, she really stands out from the rest of the cast. I think she is truly becoming a horror icon.
With all of that being said, however, what this film does not do well is help continue the mystery or explain the origin of The Nun to help progress that storyline. A lot of this story is lost and jumbled from the editing and pacing, which is really a shame because it had so much potential, and could have been so good. I feel like the script was rushed but who knows.
All I will say is, it really saddens me that this movie was not as a good as I hoped it would be. I really wanted this to be amazing, luckily, if there is a silver lining in this, the universe has had a reputation for great sequels. Hopefully, they keep director Hardy on for that though and I do think this a great time to be had in a theater, believe me when I say that. If you are trying to get spooky as the Fall season starts, this is a great film to start with. So, by all means, get out and go see it because we are getting less and less horror nowadays.
Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD December 4th
