Why I Saw It: I enjoyed Insidious far more than I expected, and, if nothing else, Rose Byrne is in it, so it couldn't be a complete loss.
Cast: Basically, everyone is back from the last one. Rose Byrne is the frantic mother. Patrick Wilson is the way too calm about ghosts father. All the creepy kids are back but the focus is shifted away from them more (granted, their importance in the first was that one was in a coma, so it's hardly a seismic shift). Lin Shaye has a much smaller part in order to fit Steve Coulter's Carl in (there's also the kind of obvious reasons why she isn't so prominent).
Plot: This is not a horror movie to see if you haven't seen the first. The first movie lays a lot of ground work that this one doesn't bother covering. In addition to that, more than any horror movie I can think of, it ties together with the first movie a lot, to the point that it will change your next viewing of the first. I like that because it shows either uncommon foresight and impressive work retrofitting the story. Another touch that I liked is that the story is completely ready to laugh at itself. Several times as the intensity of the movie spikes it is subdued by something downright goofy. Despite a fairly convoluted story, it never falls under the weight of the exposition. The biggest knock I have for it is that it didn't differentiate itself from the first movie nor up the stakes much.
Elephant in the Room: Is it scary? At some points, yes. I would call this far more of a mystery movie with horror elements though. Compared to James Wan's other movie this year, The Conjuring, this is quite tame. That didn't disappoint me. I think this movie works better with some levity since I think it's the mythology, not the images that distinguishes this series from other scary movies.
To Sum Things Up:
I was disappointed by how much this felt like a rehashing of the first movie and the two are tied together so much that I regret not rewatching the first sooner before seeing this. On its own it is an enjoyable movie, especially given that a mid-September release is generally seen as a dumping ground for movies the studios don't know what to do with. I hope when the inevitable sequel comes out, they continue to have a user for Byrne and Wilson although I get the feeling that this is the last we've seen of them in a lead capacity for the series.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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