Paranormal Activity 2: Review By TheNewDrug89

It's not a secret that I am not a big fan of the Horror genre. Not because movies in this genre are bad or not worth seeing, but because the horror movies that have been coming out for the past couple years are solely based on how much gorier it can be from the last horror film that came out. Each "Saw" film progressively got gorier and gorier and it's storyline got worse and worse. However, my take on the horror genre completely changed last September with the release of the first "Paranormal Activity". I, unlike most people, thought this film was outstanding. I thought it was completely original and a fascinating new take on the genre. Not only did the film not base itself on gore or a "how much can we get away with" kind of attitude, but it had a very intriguing story line to go along with it. One thing about that film that really stuck with me, was that Oren Peli (Director/Writer) never showed us the entity that was attacking this couple. He completely left it to the imagination of the viewer. A move like this could benefit so much of horror movies out now-a-days. So needless to say, I was extremely excited to see that they were making a sequel.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!

I, like many others on this site, were very confused the first time i saw the trailer for this film. In a couple of scenes in the trailer, Katie (the woman who is possessed in the original) makes a couple of appearances. I was extremely confused....and intrigued. So, I went with my girlfriend to go see this film as soon as I possibly could. We just got back and this is what i have to say about this somewhat follow up to the original film.

I say "somewhat follow up" because if you have seen the film, the bulk of the film does take place 60 days prior to the first film. Then, for a couple of minutes the film jumps to the moment that Katie leaves her house and tells us what happens immediately after that.

Something that really made me enjoy this film, would be that they stuck with the very simplistic feel from the first. Also, i truly enjoyed that the writing and directing team really filled in all of the blanks that i might have had after watching the first film.

A couple of problems that I had with the film however, was that after seeing the first film and being so impressed by it, i felt somewhat......let down? I, by no means, am saying that this film isn't good. But it isn't anything new. If you have seen the first film, you pretty much have seen the second. It really has the same bumps and creaks in the night that made the first so great, but they didn't really try to "up the ante" at all. It just felt like it fell a little short from the greatness of the first.

Acting:

Simply fantastic, as it was in the first film. The actors really felt like a family you could go and visit if you truly felt the need to.

Visuals:

Great as far as seeing everything from a hand held camera can be. Again it felt very authentic and very real.

Story:

I thought the story was great. It really filled me in on any questions i could have had.

Overall, I thought this movie had great potential. The director and whole cast seemed to have paid attention and took notice of what made the original work. However, they didn't take it and improve upon the formula. It seemed almost stale to someone who was a big fan of the first film. That being said, I wouldn't say this is a must see in theater, but I would say that it is a solid rent if you are a big fan of the first one or if you just want a good scare.

THANX FOR READING!!!