Annabelle: Creation synopsis: Twelve years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Samara Lee, Miranda Otto
Release Date: August 11th, 2017 | Runtime: 1 hr 49 minutes | Coolthulhus Earned: 3
Annabelle: Creation Review
Annabelle: Creation was significantly better than it’s predecessor. Yet, it still somehow managed to be completely unoriginal and almost completely reliant on jump scares. That doesn’t really seem like it should be possible, but…
Lulu Wilson, who stole the show in Ouija: Origin of Evil, is likely a big part of what makes Annabelle: Creation a decent film. Her role in this movie is a bit different than in Ouija (which I’m glad of). She’s a charismatic little girl, and can communicate quite a bit with just the widening of her big blue eyes. She’s almost completely believable in her role. I hope she avoids being typecast as she grows up, because I’m looking forward to seeing her refine her skills. I have a feeling she’s an actress worth paying attention to. Talitha Bateman’s performance wasn’t as captivating as Wilson’s, but she still did a decent job.
It was directed by David F. Sandberg, who gave us Lights Out in 2016. I didn’t recognize his name going in or I would have had higher expectations. Lights Out wasn’t exactly groundbreaking film-making, but it did give us a very powerful ending and an intense atmosphere. Both of which are absent in Annabelle: Creation. The director of photography was Maxime Alexandre, whose work we’ve seen in Silent Hill: Revelation, The Crazies, and the Hills Have Eyes. And if you’ve seen any of those films and can’t remember anything special about the cinematography in them, you won’t be surprised by the lack of any memorable work in Annabelle: Creation.
One of the things I did like about the movie was the reveal of the couple’s story. It’s sad, but touching, and I definitely empathized with them. It would be very easy to do what they did. I can’t blame them at all, even if it was extremely stupid. And I do like the way they tried to fix things. But, once that type of evil has made itself known, I’m pretty sure you can’t permanently fix it. I should note, though, that yet again there was nothing original here. I guess that means extra kudos to the actors for still making me feel for them.
Annabelle: Creation ties very neatly to the beginning of the first Annabelle film. Not as well done as Insidious 2 to the first Insidious film, but it works. It also includes a nod to the original Annabelle doll (hint: Looks nothing like the movie Annabelle).
Overall, Annabelle: Creation is forgettable, but not horrible. The most fun I had out of it was the fact that I took a Grade A wimp to watch it with me. It was fun watching her react to the movie. I’d say you should give it a shot, if for nothing else than to finally wash the bad taste of the first one out of your mouth. However, I wouldn’t pay full price to see it in theatres. This is definitely a movie better reserved for Redbox at Halloween.
Thanks for once again telling it like it is. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get much from this one. I will watch it when its available to view for free. I just won’t go into it expecting much.
My pleasure!
I haven’t seen the movie yet but I’ve commented several times the trailer alone is better than the first Annabelle movie. I was really disappointed with it and had so much hope. Glad to hear this one fares a bit better.