The Nun Lacks Soul: A Film Review

*full disclosure: a Blu-ray copy of this film was provided by Warner Bros.

Director: Corin Hardy.

Writers: Gary Dauberman, James Wan.

Cast: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Ingrid Bisu and Bonnie Aarons.

The Nun is the fifth film in The Conjuring franchise. This series of films has spawned many offshoots, including the Annabelle movies. Gary Dauberman, the writer here, also wrote one of this critic's favourites - Annabelle: Creation (2017). This latest film brings James Wan back to the series as producer and co-writer. But this film, a spin-off of The Conjuring 2 and the aforementioned Annabelle: Creation is a bit of a soulless wreck. In a remote Abbey, a Duke and sorcerer has opened a portal to Hell. And, the writers have forgotten what makes something evil and something else good. Outside of the missing plot and morality, even the characters are nearly forgotten (no real backstories), making The Nun an uninspiring movie watching event. Light on horror, The Nun is strangely rated Restricted in some territories; though, there is little that is shocking here. The Nun is a simple, horror action tale and much like an empty Christmas present, leads to nothing but disappointment.

A film lives or dies on its story. Unfortunately, The Nun is likely an introductory film, leading to others. As it is, the story here is very simple and thus uninspiring. As well, the three primary characters are equally uncomplex. Father Burke (Demián Bichir) and initiate Nun Irene (Taissa Farmiga) are given less than 30 seconds of backstory. Whether they survive their upcoming ordeal is uninteresting. Sideplots are completely absent. And, any moral message is passed by on the roadside, in favour of creepy atmosphere and a jump scare or two. The writing here is anything but impactful.

Let's Pray for a Better Sequel.

The story can be broken down into a line or two. A prospective sister and pastor are sent to a remote Romanian Abbey, to cleanse this Holy place of a lingering evil. The Duke Varak has summoned a demon, with help from his witchcraft. Now, an evil entity moves from body to body and soul to soul. When the available nuns are reduced to nothing, more characters are required to be placed in the pentagram. Irene, Burke and the sidekick or sometimes hero Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) are tasked with throwing the demon back into the pits of Hell. But, a few haunting moments are required, before entering the bowels of the Church. This might be scriptwriting intended for young teens, not adults.

Even the horror elements are near bloodless and easily viewed. Challenging scenes are relegated to a scene or two in the finale. A hideous, old nun will sit in a crypt. She hides behind a black veil. But, there is little menace in her welcome. In other scenes, bells ring from a graveyard. However, the terror does not ring true. In still further scenes, an evil nun will hide in the shadows or appear dead when living. Yet, most of the scenes offer very little to be afraid of. Only a scene or two involving the use of a pentagram are even slightly off-setting. And, this viewer wondered for whom the film was targeted.

Overall, The Nun is a lackluster effort. More flash than bang, The Nun only gets the aesthetics right. The use of a Romanian castle are utilized well. And, all of the costumes look great. But, what of the reason to fight evil? Or, why would a Duke turn to sorcery? If you are looking for a deeper level in all of the darkness, you will be wasting your time. There is also very little to learn here about Catholicism, demonology or anything really. It is almost like the film expects movie-goers to be brain deficient. The Nun has no message or story to deliver here. Perhaps others in the series will bring something better, because you can not sink much lower than what is on display in this outing.

The Nun is now out on home entertainment formats. Originally released in theatres this past September, the studio did not waste much time in delivering this feature to home entertainment platforms. Perhaps they were hoping to beat the eventual negative criticism, of which there is plenty. Very successful in its worldwide ticket returns, one begins to wonder who actively heads out to see a film like this one. Perhaps a yawntastic moviegoing experience is all that audiences expect nowadays. Though, this viewer will be looking at future The Conjuring films will a suspicious eye.

Overall: 6 out of 10.

*the blu-ray comes with three behind-the-scenes featurettes and about 12 minutes of cut scenes (some of which developed the plot more fully).

A trailer for The Nun is available here, on 28DLA: More The Nun Details


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