Predicted Rating: 4 Stars
Directed by: James Wan (Saw). Starring: Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) and Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class)
Taking place immediately after the events of the first film, Insidious: Chapter 2 sees Josh (Wilson) return from the further not quite feeling himself. Renai (Byrne) is still on edge after discovering that Elise has been murdered, continues to see apparitions, this time at her mother-in-law's house. Josh, or should I say not-Josh, tries to convince her that she is making it all up but it is only their son Dalton who realises that there is something wrong with his dad.
In my opinion, Insidious is the scariest film I have ever seen. It perfectly mixes jump scares with tension building to leave you on the edge of your seat. Remember the scene when Darth Maul appeared behind Josh out of nowhere? Sorry for you not being able to sleep tonight now. It is also fantastically directed. That is why Insidious: Chapter 2 was such a let down for me. James Wan seemed to lose a bit of his touch when directing this film. This could probably be put down Wan having to rush this film and also being tied up with The Conjuring but it just doesn't seem to be as crisp as his previous efforts. It really took the genius of Wan to make Saw and Insidious as good as they were. Chapter 2 seems to just go through the motions and doesn't deliver anywhere near enough jump scares.
Chapter 2 also suffers from some scripting problems that were not present in Leigh Whannell's other films. It is apparent he watched the youtube video "Everything that is wrong with Insidious in 8 minutes or less" because it seems he blatantly tries to plug some plot holes from the first film here. However, in trying to cover up some, he creates some more blatant ones. For example, why didn't Renai realise that her mother-in-law was gone for the entire evening despite being woken several times? What happened to the police investigation? The officer specifically said on the phone that they will be investigating Elise's death further but then that plot line was completely disregarded. In no world, no matter what the circumstances, will a 10 year old hit his dad over the head with a baseball bat. Finally, what came of the guy with the duster in the further? The old man specifically said that he had Josh's baby. Here I was expecting some sort of Braindead style baby possession but nothing came of it. However, what I think disappointed me the most was that the main plot twist was stolen from my all time favourite ending! I won't say what it is because I will ruin two movies but watch (or if you are too lazy, read the wikipedia article) Sleepaway Camp. It is extremely cheesy but it has THE GREATEST ENDING OF ALL TIME! Even though the twist is not as critical in Chapter 2, I kind of sighed loudly and lost interest once I worked it out.
Horror movies, the vast majority of the time, rely on stupid white people being stupid white people. This stems back to the late 70's/early 80's slashers when, instead of using common sense, the "protagonist" will investigate that infamous noise completely unarmed and then ultimately meet their demise by the hands of the homicidal maniac. Chapter 2 is no exception to this rule. As usual, no one in this film has heard of adequate household lighting. Also why would you investigate the abandoned hospital and the old man's house IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?! I know you guys are ghost hunters but at least regroup in the morning and make sure you have the proper equipment. A couple of handheld cameras and a set of dice with limited characters is not going to cut it. Ghosts do not abbreviate their speak like in text messages so bring more dice!
Despite all the downfalls, Chapter 2 can be entertaining on occasions. Patrick Wilson is my all time favourite actor and does a very good job in this. Rose Byrne sort of just cries the whole time but that is what the role asked for. Despite not being as scary as the first instalment, it does do a good job at building the tension. The comic relief of Whannell and Angus Sampson adds a certain humanity to the experience. Finally, even though it is not his best effort, James Wan is still a genius and it is still a well directed film.
Overall: Fairly disappointing in comparison to the first instalment but it still delivers the scares. 2.5 Stars
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