Insidious: Part 2 – 3.5/5 – Movie Reviews by Ry!
Insidious: Part 2 – 3.5/5 – Sequels to horror films; they usually suck. There is no way around it, no if/ands/buts to it; horror film sequels tend to always suck. The main reason for them being terrible is because they stretch out a story/premise into multiple movies. Sometimes, you get decent sequels that help create a film worth watching. With this movie, you get both; a good sequel and worth to expanding the lore and story of the previous film. Just to put it simply, Insidious: part 2 is a decent follow-up to the original.
Premise: All seems well for the Lambert’s, as they have gotten their son back. But, even as the family seeks to move on, they uncover the mysterious childhood secret that will bring them back to the world they wish they could leave.
All the original characters from the first film return for this sequel. You have all the Lambert’s: Father Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson), mother Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne), the children Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor) and the mother of Josh Lambert; Lorraine Lambert (Barbara Hershey). In this film, they pretty much pick up where they left off in the previous film. All these main casts fulfill their roles to the precision as before. They are distinct enough to keep you engaging from beginning till the end. For the supporting cast, you still have the paranormal investigator, and also the obvious ‘spirit and ghost’ that litter both the real and ‘further’ world. They help add flavor to this ongoing tale, but as before, they don’t do much as before. They only provide a distraction or comic relief from the main cast.
As this is a sequel, there isn’t really much to explain about the direction. The one thing that is a difference between this and the original is that this one plays ‘catch up’ to the loose threads of the first. When we left the cast:
(Spoiler alert begins) They had just retrieved Dalton from the ‘Further’; and all seems safe for the Lamberts. What happened though is that something else came back, and has taken over the father’s body (spoiler alert end)
From here, the film does the ‘catch up’ routine, filling in all the loose ends through a ‘suspenseful’ tone. This is accomplished with paralleling stories of the current situation and the back history of Josh Lambert and his unusual powers. Within this, you get the typical ‘scare tactics’ that you’ve seen before, but because of how involving the story and lore is, you can’t stop feeling the suspense for this world. As the story builds, all the loose ends come together. When this happens, we move on a fast track to saving the Lambert’s from the one that has come from the other side. The last act moves the tone from ‘suspenseful’ to the creepy/edgy feeling of the first film. This helps add another layer to this film, helping creating distinctions for itself, but stay grounded to the world that has been created. When the film hits the climax, you’re completely engaged, and will jump and react even if you know what’s coming. In the end, you get closure to the Lambert’s story, but also see this expansion within the world of the ‘Further’.
The visuals of the film are as great as the original. With the expanse into this unfamiliar world of the ‘Further’, you get this ominous aura created with the props, CGI and lighting techniques used in the film. Even for the imaginative realm, you still have that feeling of believability. You are captured by what you see, but still get that great eerie feeling you’d expect from a horror film. The score is both intense and cheesy at the same time. Even for this contradiction, it does a good job in creating emotional responses unexpectedly.
Insidious: part 2 is basically, a great follow up to a great horror flick. In expanding upon the lore, you’re still intrigued through the suspense created within this film, but also see it never compromises the creepiness of the original. If you are a fan of Insidious, this is definitely worth watching. You won’t be disappointed if you are a horror fan in general.