Welcome to Movie Monday! Each week we will look at a movie either in theaters or available to stream by a major streamer. We will briefly review the movie, and tell you why it is enjoyable. This isn’t meant to be a detailed criticism, rather, a celebration of why a movie is entertaining or worth the watch. We will typically avoid spoilers, but if there are any, we will denote that clearly before it appears in the review. This week, we’ll be looking at The Conjuring: Last Rites.
After a few weeks of smaller releases, The Conjuring: Last Rites gave a huge jolt to the box office with a $84 million domestic release and a nearly $200 million international open.
Last Rites is billed as the last Conjuring movie to feature Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren as it is the Warren’s last real life case. This entry into the franchise will not go down as one of the most scary or terrifying. In fact, it’s pretty tame compared to the other Conjuring movies and some of the spinoffs.
However, I felt this movie wasn’t about how it could scare you, it was really about the Warrens and their family dynamic and the growth of them as people. The other Conjuring movies were about equal in terms of the movie being about the Warren’s, the case (the spirits involved), and the family that the case involved. This had very little to do with the family the case involved, or even the spirits/demon involved.
This was all about the Warrens and the journey they’ve been on through all these years. Vera Farmiga nailed the emotions of motherhood, Patrick Wilson nailed the struggles of his declining health, and Mia Tomlison did a quality job in being the daughter that is growing into her own.
This was the most personal of the Conjuring movies and I thought it fit given this being the end of the Warren’s case load. While we’ve come to love this franchise for its jump scares and demonic presence, this was a emotional and touching end to something that can be anything but given the forces at play.
The Conjuring: Last Rites is now playing in theaters everywhere.
