'THE CONJURING: LAST RITES' MOVIE REVIEW

‘THE CONJURING’ FILMS ALONG WITH THE ENTIRE SHARED FILM UNIVERSE IT SPAWNED HAVE BEEN A POWERFUL FORCE IN THE HORROR GENRE FOR OVER A DECADE.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE FILMS IN SAID SHARED UNIVERSE (BUT ESPECIALLY ‘THE CONJURING’ FILMS) HAVE FELT STALE AS OF LATE - PREDICTABLE WITH NOT MUCH ELSE TO OFFER. I’M SAD TO REPORT THAT THIS INSTALLMENT IS NO DIFFERENT. THOSE COMING INTO THIS FILM HOPING FOR A BIG SUPERNATURAL AND TERRIFYING CONCLUSION TO THE FICTIONAL VERSION OF THE WARRENS’ STORY WILL LEAVE DISAPPOINTED, THOUGH THE FILM DOES ITS BEST TO AT LEAST GIVE THE CHARACTERS A PROPER SEND-OFF.

FUTURE PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED TELEVISION SERIES, WILL KEEP THE FRANCHISE’S BLOOD PUMPING IN SOME FASHION, BUT IT IS CLEAR THAT IT IS TIME FOR NOT ONLY THIS FRANCHISE, BUT LIKELY ALL FRANCHISES OF THIS TYPE, TO REST AS TRENDS AMONG THE GENRE AND AMONG AUDIENCE INTERESTS CHANGE. THE MOVIE IS DEFINITELY FUN ENOUGH, ESPECIALLY FOR DIE-HARD FANS, BUT THOSE ON A BUDGET CAN DEFINITELY WAIT FOR STREAMING.

warning! - spoiler review below

I will say that i have a lot of love for this franchise and for the overall universe it created. personally, i'm not a believer in the supernatural and i think that creates a bias and requires a larger suspension of belief, so I tend to critique supernatural horror a little more critically. that being said, i still think there's a lot to love here and the franchise, including this film, holds a lot of rewatchability.

however, this film does have it's pitfalls. the warrens are kept away from the main plot for nearly the entire movie, which sadly makes the movie feel like it's ending when it's just gotten somewhere interesting. instead there are two plots that are kind of forced together in a way that doesn't feel necessary. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't bring myself to invest in this storyline about judy warren. i get why it was enticing to include it, but i think it comes a too high a cost as it robs us from the storyline that put us all in the seats to watch this movie to begin with.

the vfx and action are hit or miss here with some sequences being really tense and fun and others that feel roughly done, cheaply done or unnecessary. the best sequences here were the simplest, mainly the subtle scares that come as the smurl family is terrorized by the entities in their home.

the cameos at the end were nice to have, but also don't make sense story-wise. I don't understand why judy warren, who self-discloses that she's never been involved with her parents cases, would invite the families from her parents' greatest hits - am i wrong there?

at the very least, it's fun to see vera and patrick say goodbye to these roles that became career-defining for themselves. they seem to have fun making these and that always shows.

overall, i think fans will enjoy it and appreciate the nods and efforts, whether they make sense or not, and the film will at least still feel like a good time when doing a binge watch of the films or when you just need something spooky on in the background. and with the television series coming, the franchise will continue on regardless, but those hoping that this is the big supernatural blowout finale to this franchise, will likely be disappointed, but will still leave happy they bought the ticket to see it. those wondering if it's worth breaking their budget to see it could likely wait for streaming guilt-free. but i do recommend checking it out at some point.

7/10

you can check out 'the conjuring: last rites' in theaters now.