Review of Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) by Robin M — 18 Feb 2012

When "Paranormal Activity" became big, I remember being extremely disappointed over the huge hype that both Japan and America gave toward the film. When it came to the sequel, I expected a film to follow the same premise and a sequel that follows the same routines; surprisingly, I actually found this film more enjoyable. Even for myself, this film is far more enjoyable than its predecessor and is a good sequel to the boring found footage flick. Without a doubt, the film follows the same premise of using the found footage routine to portray a realistic film following a fictional family; however, only this time, the sequel improves everything that was presented in the first film. Instead of having one camera being set in one location, there are several cameras that are set up around the house, adding more variety and thrills that the first film lacked. I remember myself feeling bored and was unimpressed with the thrills that the first film was trying to bring. I really found myself more entertained and trying to see if something unusual is occurring on the camera during the events of this sequel. However, despite these improvements, this does not help with the fact that nothing ever happens during the first half and causes the film to drag. The film drags and slowly builds up toward the second half of the film.

The reason why I found this more enjoyable than the first was the fact of presenting more excitement and actually surprising me. When it came to the paranormal events, the film starts off with the same stunts as the first and fails to bring in the scares. It was like watching a magician performing these old tricks that you have seen done by many others. However, what really differentiates itself from its predecessor was bringing in some new stunts to the game. I was quite impressed with some of the new things you will see and the film actually presented some scenes that caused me to jump. Some were jump scares, but there were other moments that I really found unexpected. Basically, if you hated the first film, you will find this film more enjoyable because of the addition of excitement that it presents. What also surprised me was to see the events of this film somehow connects to the events of its predecessor. You actually see the couple from the first film and will definitely know how the events of the first film came to be; especially the climactic scene that awaits.

Despite being extremely slow during the first half, this sequel really improves and evolved everything that was done in the first film and made the film far more enjoyable and unexpectedly entertaining. Fans of the predecessor will definitely find this an absolute success and a great sequel. Although this film will not absolutely cause the people who didn't care or hated the first film to completely like the series, but these people will find it more enjoyable than the previous paranormal event.