Well, I learned a lesson here: while the first two, James Wan-directed Conjuring movie were well-constructed and at least fun, seeing the third at home may not be the best idea since the characters tend to be quiet in many scenes, and my new air conditioner sometimes runs a bit loud. Still, I made my choice and I don’t mind so much. I only get so many tickets per week with my AMC Stubbs A-List pass. I need to be at least a little selective.
I mean, Wan’s a good director and…he did not direct this one at all. Well, he still produced and co-wrote the story at least…
Like every Conjuring movie, the opening narration tells us Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) were involved in some demonic incident for real, and in this case, that was the exorcism of an eight year old boy. Things go a bit wrong when the demonically-possessed boy knocks out the priest and attacks Ed, giving him a heart attack. The boy’s sister’s boyfriend Arne (Ruairi O’Connor) then grabs the boy and demands the demon take him instead. That ends the boy’s possession, but the only witness to where the demon really went is Ed, but his cardiac arrest puts him into a hospital for a while, so he isn’t able to warn Lorraine right away. By the time Ed is able to get out a warning, it is too late and Arne has killed someone. Can demonic possession be just cause to at least find leniency in what is an obvious murder case?
Just to clarify, as with all movies about the Warrens, whether part of the Conjuring universe or not, I am not going to question whatever controversy followed the Warrens around during their lives. Within the realm of the movie, what they deal with is real. Whether it is real or not in reality is immaterial for the purposes of my writing here, and yes, there is some controversy about whether or not the real Arne actually was possessed, but in the movie he is, so that’s what I am going by.
As for the movie, it does continue to do what all Conjuring movies do: suggest the Warrens love each other and work best as a pair, with Lorraine’s psychic abilities matching well with Ed’s knowledge. That’s complicated here a bit by Ed’s health issues limiting his mobility. What does make this one a bit different is twofold: unlike the previous two, where the case in the opening scene doesn’t seem to be connected right away until it is, this one’s main case is an obvious continuation of the opening scene; and the evil force here is set against the Warrens and it isn’t just some case the pair happen to involve themselves in. The latter point is a bit important for thematic purposes. The villainous thing is out to prove what the Warrens have together is insufficient, and since so much of these movies is about how much they love each other and work well as a pair, that would be an appropriate thing to continue their story.
That said, the movie itself is rather rote. There’s nothing really on par with the first movie’s clapping scene, and there’s no villain as memorable as either Annabelle or the Nun. Wilson and Farmiga are still good in the roles and what they are asked to do, but the movie as a whole still isn’t all that interesting. Perhaps had Wan stayed in the director’s chair that might have been different, but the main problem here is it feels more rote than revolutionary. It’s not awful, but it’s also eminently skippable.
Grade: C
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