Review of Annabelle (2014) by Marcela C — 24 Jan 2015

Whether it's Nolans Dark Knight Trilogy, or James Wan's work with Insidious, people get much more picky, the second , third, or tenth time around. Expectations are through the roof and they can't be satisfied by anything less than an unforgettable masterpiece.

The Conjuring prequel Annabelle is no exception. Most critics are bashing it, and many audience members are walking away disappointed. The fact is ( in my opinion obviously) that Annabelle does everything it's supposed to.

It gives nods to The Conjuring, offers up some good performances , and a few incredibly good scares. While James Wan's name is still attached to the project, the directoing by John R. Leonetti should be getting more credit.

What separates it from The Conjuring , are things he likely doesn't have the power to do, such as edit and cut away bits of script like Wan was able to do, (when working with the Hayes brothers, this should happen every time).

It simply doesn't have the same balance as The Conjuring. The scares occur at a rapid pace , and a few fall short because of that. The camera centers on the demonic doll a tad too much before we get to see her move and levitate.

Nevertheless , Annabelle pushes Chucky out of the water. Many critics keep pointing to Rosemary's Baby and I don't understand why. A character can't be pregnant without people pointing and yelling "copy cat!" Don't listen to those people.

Don't listen to me either, if you think this review is stupid. Just watch and enjoy Annabelle for what it is: a good horror film receiving way too much crap.