Motion Picture Review: The Last Exorcism Part II

Movie: The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)

Format: Standard (2D)

General movie information (cast, synopsis, MPAA rating, etc.) can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2034139/?ref_=sr_1

 

Picking up where the first movie left off - and if you haven't seen that one yet, do it – this film has new writers, a new director, etc., however the characters, environment and everything else is a perfect end cap to the first film's “ending” (don't want to spoil that part for those who've yet to see the first one). Since the final incident of which the first film left us with, young Nell Sweetzer has been trying to move on from her previous life situation, though it's taken it's toll on her rather well. We see her trying to move on and forget about the past and creating for herself a new future.

She meets a boy, falls head-over-heels for him and has even made friends with some other girls, growing into some independence. It's not long, however, before trouble comes-a-knockin' and Nell starts feeling the pressure. Her nightmares of nights-passed had become beautiful dreams of things unrelated, and in the blink of an eye she starts becoming seduced by the demon of which had previously possessed her body. We learn a lot more in this film about Nell herself, rather than the general story of exorcisms and demonic possession, and that most definitely helps to add to the depth quite a bit.

Because the movie focuses on Nell herself, completely centered around her in fact, we are given opportunity to become attached to her and to feel for her much in the same way we would someone in real life. It's as though we're watching someone we've met live out their days. There are even elements of which Nell is treated as a kind of small-time celebrity, but for the most part we just see a blossoming young wallflower, much like Stephen King's Carrie – replacing psychic abilities with being haunted and seduced by a demon of course.

The story does seem a tad on the short side, I do have to admit, but that's not enough for me to take any marks from it because it doesn't affect the story negatively in any way. If you really think about it, connecting the two movies together actually weaves a fairly intimate and semi-lengthy story. Exorcism movies don't usually bode well with two or more films per franchise, however I do have to say that as long as this one doesn't get a third part, it will do quite well holding it's own. It isn't the greatest film of all time, or even the greatest exorcism film (it is kind of hard to beat The Exorcist after all), however it actually is not that bad a film or pair of films in the slightest. The first installment was a documentary-stylized model, with this one being more Hollywood “this is the aftermath” style. Rather than anyone following Nell around with a camera and cataloging everything like data, the actual story of what's happening to the main character is allowed to unfold and be presented as-is.

Is it perfect? Far from it, but as many know I am a major stickler for continuity, and with that this film hits the nail on the head perfectly. The Last Exorcism Part II quite literally picks up right where the first film left off, and in the intro it actually gives viewers a catch-me-up on what the first film was about and what all happened (though not as entertaining as that film itself, it covers all the major components). I'm seeing ratings on the web that make this film seem like it's a cheese-ball attempt at making a bit more $$$ from something that should just be left alone, however as that might possibly be the case (I can't say yes or no), to me it definitely just seems like a way for those of us who watched the first film to have some closure on what happened.

One thing I also liked, just to point this out, is that unlike a lot of other films in this sub-genre, this film did not go way over-the-top Hollywood craziness with the FX. That happens to be one of my most favorite parts of The Last Exorcism (both films as a whole story), the realism of it. It doesn't have tons of cheesy crazy talk, and the character of Nell is actually convincingly realistic. I applaud Ashley Bell (Nell) for her performance in these films, especially Part II, because she's actually believable in her fear, terror and innocence.

I didn't much like the end of the film, but that's because of what route it took, not because of the FX, stylization, etc. It's an actual end to a story (or is it?) however, and that's appreciable as many films often leave us hanging (and the first one had me for awhile until I saw the trailer for this one) without any closure whatsoever. If you like the exorcism sub-genre of horror films, then you'll possibly like this one, but if you haven't seen the first one yet, I implore you to do so. Watching the first The Last Exorcism film will greatly help you to appreciate Part II much greater than Part II's introduction story-catch-up feature, plus it's actually a pretty nice film all it's own.

Story: 7/10

Dialogue: 9/10

Continuity: 10/10

Overall: 8.7/10

This article copyright 2013 Ronald H. Smith. All images are property 2013 CBS Films Inc. All rights reserved.