Movie Review: The NUN is a journey to find the source of Evil Valak

With the latest thriller The Conjuring, the audience has the opportunity to learn more about the origins of Valak – the evil demon takes the shape of an early mother.

Rating: 7/10

The character Valak (Bonnie Aarons) first appeared on screen in the movie The Conjuring 2 (2016) has caused the fever just like the doll Annabelle three years ago thanks to the appearance of disgust, the same power of transformation inconceivable

Taking on the role of cameo (guest) in Annabelle: Creation (2017), Valak continues to have his own film about origin with The Nun.

The Nun scene was in 1952, which preceded almost every event in the movie universe The Conjuring.

At a secluded monastery in Romania, a suicide nun. Feeling irregular, the Vatican immediately dispatched Burke’s father (Demián Bichir) and Irene (Tessa Farmiga) to investigate.

Having arrived in the mountains of eastern Europe, they receive help from Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) – the first to discover the body of a suicide nun. The trio did not know that they were prepared to confront the mighty demon Valak – who exploited the sin or vulnerability of each individual to spread fear.
Gorgeous atmosphere throughout, but less fresh

The first big plus of The Nun is the film set the atmosphere of horror early. The film takes full advantage of the ancient, monumental backdrop of the mountain monastery to create a series of dark, dark vistas. Inside, light from the candles or oil lamps helps set the scene for a series of horror scenes.

The Nun’s background mainly takes place at a monastery. But, this is a very large place, even as lax as a maze. It also has certain rules when there are areas where only nuns are allowed to set foot.

The monastery contains innumerable nooks, and Valak is free to direct ghosts leaping to scare the characters or the audience. It could be the long corridor of the monastery, the big mirror, or even the underground coffin. Devilish manipulation of all, and push the viewer into the atmosphere of fear.

The horror factor in The Nun is dense, and will make many fans of horror films feel satisfied. However, for those who have followed the movie The Conjuring, they can see that The Nun has not made a breakthrough clear.

As in The Conjuring 2, Valak is a cunning, evil-minded devil, having prepared a long-drawn plan to trap the Warren couple, to The Nun, it’s just like a demon, to scare any human that you see.
Valak’s origin is somewhat revealed

In The Nun, the audience is reminiscent of the events of The Conjuring 2 (2016) when Valak hatches Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) with a series of scary images, or even suddenly appear in The Warren House.

Where did Valak come from, where did her grandmother shape come from, or how powerful was her power? A series of questions was asked by the audience after The Conjuring 2 closed two years ago. And now The Nun is supposed to deliver the answer to the viewers.

It can be said, The Nun has somehow explained the question. However, it does not come from the fact that Burke’s father or Irene’s apprentice went to investigate, but simply through the narrative of a minor figure. The two main characters of the movie are no different “prey” for Valak hunting in the dark.

Religious elements are mentioned quite a lot in the film, and are important details to help Father Burke and Irene confront evil. But the exploits are mechanical, and there is a lack of internal struggles needed to better define their psyche.

The Nun focused on exploiting fear from the audience, rather than digging into human characters. And the film lacks a human story behind the fear – which The Conjuring 2 has done quite well besides the scare phase.

In addition, the end of the film clearly shows the intent of the production crew. They may want to make a movie about Valak (like Annabelle), because the ending of The Nun is not directly connected to events at The Conjuring 2. There is still a gap in the timeline of The Universe. Conjuring for Valak so that the team can exploit.
Back to the group of human characters, Burke’s father Demián Bichir presents are quite mysterious, and curious to the viewer. However, throughout the film, he always puts himself in the passive position, even making his companion in danger.

Fortunately, Irene’s practicing nun, Taissa Farmiga, has captured the emotions of the viewers. The 24-year-old has a bright face with a clear nail on her face. All in opposition to the devil Valak always waiting to invade her body.

Considered as a separate horror film, The Nun can be quite good with horror elements are pushed up to full size. However, the film has not made a breakthrough compared to what the movie universe The Conjuring has done.

The movie premiered on 7/9 under the title The Nun.