Alright, it's been two years since the last film in the franchise but it's time to once again step into the world of the Conjuring.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is a supernatural horror movie that's serves as not only the sequel to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, but also serves as the ninth installment to the franchise known as The Conjuring Universe. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick returns to write but the story was also written by Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing, and another return is director Michael Chaves.
The story is, years ago when Ed and Lorraine Warren were young and just starting their paranormal investigation careers, they encountered a evil so freighting that they got scared and ran away. Now, it's 1986 and this evil spirit has come back. Ed and Lorraine aren't gonna run away from this demon, but it will be the case that ends it all.
Initial Reaction
There's a very simple and short reason as to why I wanted to see this. I'm a fan of this franchise so I wanted to see the conclusion to Ed and Lorraine Warren's story. Like I said, simple and short.
Cons
I've got nothing.
Middle Ground
I've got two grey areas. Starting with the pacing. I get they were building up to the Warren's meeting up with the Smurl's (the newest family needing their help). But it does take quite a while for those two families to finally meet up. Another one is the scare factor. Now there are some effective moments. There's plenty of moments where the sound design and shadows are actually scary, although there was a vomiting scene that did creep me out. But there's also some very predictable moments. Lastly there's the story. Now I was fully invested in how much the Warren's know they just get keep doing these investigations like they use to, and instead focus on their daughter and what the future holds for all of them. And some of the stuff with the Smurl's and being terrorized by evil spirits was also handled pretty well. But once these two stories combined the Smurl's are sidelined. There's also a lot of underdeveloped elements as well. For instance, Ed now has issues with his heart. Now they do use that element, but it doesn't really add that much intensity during the final battle with the demon. But what about the ending? This is a final chapter so how does the story handle that aspect? While some beats from past movies are wrapped up there was nothing about the Smurl case that give me the feeling that this was the case that made the Warren's retirement feel necessary. It just felt like another case or a side quest, not something that was urgent or inevitable.
Pros
If there's one truly great thing to say about Last Rites, it's that the performances from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The two from the very start have always been the heart of the mainline series and it's no different hear. They not only have great charm, tenderness, and showcase the Warren's unbreakable faith, but despite the script not fully diving into the characters facing retirement, Wilson and Farmgia did give that try to give that feeling. So while this is the end of main Conjuring series it was great to Patrick and Vera give one last tremendous performance for this franchise.
Overall I wasn't disappointed by this movie, but I definitely won't be re-watching it as much as I do with the first two Conjuring films.
My final rating is, Okay.
That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Sept 8th, for an Underrated Films review of, Dark City. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
