Insidious Chapter 2 Review


Movie: Insidious Chapter 2
By: Maniac E
Date: September 17, 2013

It Will Take What You Love Most

As I ended my review with the comment that we would be looking at a new franchise.. it happened. James Wan has returned to us with a part 2 promising us even more scares and more story to be told. But did he succeed in this?

"Insidious: Chapter 2" starts where the last film left off. The Lambert family is still haunted. The body of Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) is possessed by the spirit of a mysterious bride in black, and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) doesn't know it I mean, she should know it, after looking at a ghost-revealing photograph taken by Elise (Lin Shaye), a dead medium, but Renai is presumably not in her right mind after seeing this photo.Elise previously warned Renai that moving is pointless since her son is haunted, not the Lamberts' home, but Renai and not-Josh move back into Josh's childhood home where they find out that Josh was also haunted as a child. So, to avoid a haunting, the Lamberts return to the site of an earlier haunting. But once household items start moving on their own again, Renai, and ghost-busters Specs (Whannell), Tucker (Angus Sampson), look to retired psychic Carl (Steve Coulter) for answers.

Insidious Chapter 2

The Lamberts, have gotten away from their house and the experience they had in it. Josh (Patrick Wilson), Renai (Rose Byrne), and their three children are all safe and move in with Josh's mom. At the beginning of the film you find out this is not Josh's first experience with a sprit. It seems Josh has a gift where he sees dead people and with the help from Elise (Lin Shaye) he forgets that gift, until he uses it again to save his son from a place the living shouldn't be. That place I imagine is the same place Carol Anne from "Poltergeist" was in as well, but instead of talking through a TV, a tin can phone is used to communicate to the other side. Renai senses something is not right about Josh, a sentiment that is shared by Josh's mother as well. So with the help from a man named Carl (Steve Coulter) and two guys who provide the comic relief, they all set out to free Josh and his family from the evil that haunts them.

Insidious Chapter 2

Let me start by saying that Insidious part 1 wasn't as good as it could have been and basically the same statement still stands. The movie is a direct follow up to the last one but feels in my opinion completely different from the first one. Where the atmosphere was the drive in the first one here it is more about the cheap scares and the dialogue to make way for future installments. It also is a bit of a letdown even if you are a fan of the first one because it just lacks subtleness, maybe even finesse that it had. There are way too many scenes where they wanted to use comic relief to break the tension, and for me it wasn't cutting it.

Insidious Chapter 2

Wan showed us that he could build up good tension and make things seem scary just look at "The Conjuring". If you look at both movies you will see Wan again dropped the ball with Insidious and again shows us a way too typical movie. The only thing Wan does right is keep the story going and make you wander what will happen next in this whole ghostly universe he created. There is enough story to be told and it is interesting to see what they do with it all and could be just one reason to see the movie. There is some good acting to see at least it makes sure it isn't a total drag to watch. Wilson is on top of his game and just puts down a nice struggle between him and the inner demon that is trapped inside him.

Insidious Chapter 2

It is clear that Wan wanted to push this next installment into a different way and people will see it will end up more than just a haunted house storyline. I must admit I wasn't a big fan of this installment it was just missing way too many good things the first one had. Because of all the mediocre scares and plot twists this movie just misses the mark of being a good movie. Where part 1 had its own unique build up and feel, this one is just falling short on that department. Worth a watch but in the end you probably end up feeling like it missed a few things.


2.5/5




Movie

Insidious Chapter 2

Title

Insidious Chapter 2

Director

James Wan

Country

USA

Year

2013

Cast

Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey