To watch Brahms: The Boy II is to watch it fall apart. The film does much to undo the story and interesting plot twist of the original. While the first The Boy would not be Dove-approved (for many of the same reasons here) it worked well in a is-there-a-ghost-gonna-get-the-nanny-oh-wait-a-scary-plot-twist kind of way. It chose its tropes, and assembled them. Why end the first film with an open door for a sequel, only to slam it in the audience’s face?
The actors try, but the characters are flat. The scary tropes are utilized, but almost never work. The special effects are fine, but can’t make the entire film very special. Instead of proceeding from the momentum of the first film, it tries to change direction, loses speed, and silently comes to a stop onscreen. Eventually, the audience may shake hands with the film, realizing neither of them seem to care much.
It’s a sad (and uninteresting) experience. The entire film seems haunted by the original. Viewers who enjoyed the original one enough to watch the sequel will probably be disappointed. And viewing the sequel on its own won’t do the film many favors, either.
There may be some positive aspects, but they’re rather slim, and possibly overshadowed by the negative aspects. The content is dark, with mental illness, suicide, and dark spirituality, as well as portrayals of violence, sometimes with children.
Brahms: The Boy II is Not Dove-approved.
The Dove Take:
Horror sequel is a lackluster lullaby filled with dark content and violence.
