I have read so many bad reviews, but it didn't stop me from going! (TINY SPOILERS INCLUDED) So I just came home from watching Insidious: Chapter 2, and I have to say I am glad that I have read so many bad reviews, because my expectations were actually at the lowest point, and guess what?! I ended up loving it! Most of the reviews talk about how the two characters Specs and Tucker get more airtime and give the shock moments a comedic twist which is annoying, but I can only recall one moment, which came out of nowhere, and made the whole movie theater laugh out loud. But besides that I think the movie was much darker and scarier than part one, and even though there wasn't any graphic violence I thought it was very disturbing for a PG-13 movie. Insidious didn't make me jump at all, but Chapter 2 had at least three unexpected scares waiting for me. This one guy next to me kept flinching, and nervously played something on his phone to distract himself, it was hilarious!
I love James Wan as a director because you can be sure if he makes a sequel, it will be deeply connected to the previous part(s). Just like in the Saw movies you will be surprised at all the things that happened in part one Insidious, and suddenly make sense because they are explained in Chapter two; on top of that Wan gave the whole storyline a great amount of depth and new twists. The camera work is still excellent, but why wouldn't it be?! The acting performances are
well, still not Oscar worthy, but perfect for the storyline. The music and shock moments are more intense this time and definitely more evolved, and Mr. Wan even has a small part in the movie: As a desktop background! :D
What I noticed was the fact that part two begins where part one left off at, but the children look older, about two years, which is the time frame between Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2. ;) Oh, well. The editing was a little weird this time as well: It felt like some scenes were just randomly put together, one moment it was day time, the next it was in the middle of the night. Also, the grandmother, a.k.a. Josh's mother was up at 2:30 a.m. and walked around like it was early in the evening or morning. Weird. But since the rest of the movie was very satisfying I can overlook those things. HOWEVER, There is one thing I couldn't ignore, which actually messed up my experience a little: I felt like they pulled an ending out of their asses that could be used to make another sequel. But I would much rather see different movies with new ideas than the same old stories. So I hope there is no sequel coming.
This is not a review like I normally write, but I wanted to share my thoughts while they were still fresh! Insidious: Chapter 2 is It's definitely worth a watch, and if your lower your expectations like I did, you might end liking it even more than the original. :D
My Rating: Insidious: 6.5/10 Insidious: Chapter 2: 7.5/10