BRAHMS: THE BOY 2 BETTER BUT STILL BAD

“Brahms”, the sequel to “The Boy,” has followed closely the footsteps of its predecessor: That is to say, it flopped.

The special effects are decent, the acting isn’t bad; the issue is that the movie as a whole is… uninspired.

It follows all of the typical tropes for a “haunted doll movie.”  It’s like its makers were checking off bullet points on a list. Traumatic experience causes family to move out into the country: check. Child finds creepy doll in the forest: check. Child brings doll home when they definitely 100% shouldn’t: check. Chaos ensues, seemingly as a direct result of the doll feeling slighted and possessive in some way?

Check.

The movie does have some good shots from a cinematic standpoint.  There are some beautiful sweeping shots of the mansion from the first movie, which help to offset the general blandness of the rest of the film if only a little.

The spookier moments of the movie mostly consist of a quietly whispering doll, optical illusions, and cheap jump scares, leading to an almost comedic horror, which is presumably not what the directors had in mind while making this film.

On a higher note, the actor who plays the son, Jude, Christopher Convery, actually does a notably good job in his role. He manages to convey a strong amount of emotion even though he isn’t able to talk for half the movie, and his scenes are all convincingly portrayed.

That is not to say that the film’s other actors are bad. All of them do a pretty good job in their roles. The problem truly is the plot: It is boring and lacks anything particularly original.

That said, Brahms is better than the first movie, which admittedly isn’t a high bar to meet.

If you’re looking for an empty theater to hang out in with some friends, then this is the movie for you.