(Photo Credit: Universal Picture)
(“Black Phone 2” trailer courtesy of Universal Pictures)
The world is filled with darkness.
So much so that it seems that evil is often more powerful than good.
But as the dope horror movie “Black Phone 2” shows, light can sometimes stomp out darkness if people use their goodness to overcome the wickedness in the world.
Art often imitates life.
But sometimes, it is better if life imitates art.
Wouldn’t it be great if people with special gifts could talk to the dead and the kidnapped so that their cases could get solved and their families could find closure?
Furthermore, wouldn’t it be great if people could use such gifts to lock up criminals like serial killers for good so they can no longer prey on the vulnerable and weak?
In “Black Phone 2,” Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has that gift, for better or worse.
The benefits of Gwen’s gifts are that she can connect with the dead to bring some justice to the world.
The detriments of that gift are that she is often traumatized by evil forces haunting her in her sleep, and the belief that she is slowly losing her mind.
Very few people know about how her dreams are tormenting her, except for her brother Finney (Mason Thames) and an admirer at school named Ernesto (Miguel Mora).
In “Black Phone 2,” Ernesto knows that Gwen is a little weird.
But that appears to be what he likes about her.
He has such a crush on Gwen that he pays a mint just to buy her tickets to the upcoming Duran Duran concert.
Ernesto is not even put off by the fact that Gwen has an older and protective brother who beats up any and everybody who disses him and his family at their school.
Because of what happened to Finney back in 1978, he is still getting disrespected by kids in 1982.
A few years prior, Finney got kidnapped by a crazed serial killer, nicknamed The Grabber (Ethan Hawke).
Thankfully, Finney was able to talk to previous kidnap victims via a black phone in the predecessor to “Black Phone 2,” who were then able to give Finney advice on how to escape his captor.
While many of The Grabber’s past victims paid the ultimate price, Finney is able to flip the script in “Black Phone,” killing the serial killer.
But The Grabber’s death does not stop the torment for Finney, Gwen or their father Terrence (Jeremy Davies).
In “Black Phone 2,” Gwen’s nightmares make her prone to sleepwalking, which could put her health in danger.
Finney continues to receive phone calls, even from out-of-order pay phones.
He consistently tells the callers that he cannot help them before quickly hanging up.
But ignoring a calling on one’s life does not make the calls stop, even if the phone is supposedly out of order or off the hook.
When Gwen receives a call from a youth Christian camp in Rocky Mountains, Colo., from someone in 1957, she cannot rest well until she discerns the meaning and purpose of the phone call.
She eventually realizes that the call is from a place where her mother worked as a youngster, called Alpine Lakes Camp.
Although Terrence does not like his children being influenced by organized religion, he cannot stop his children, accompanied by Ernesto, from taking jobs at the camp.
Gwen is determined to understand that phone call and believes she is needed at the camp for some reason.
Although some of the camp counselors refer to Gwen as demon-possessed, is everyone who can talk to the dead or see visions getting that ability from Satan?
Or is it a gift from God to help save lives and bring closure to the families of victims?
“Black Phone 2” is solid all the way around.
While Hawke is obviously the big name of the movie, the younger cast members are the ones who carry the film.
“Black Phone 2” gets the 1980s completely correct, from the fashion to the pop culture to the automobiles.
It also gets those awkward teenage years correct, with youngsters dealing with crushes while trying not to be crushed by the weight of the world.
Gwen and Finney are beyond mature, considering what they have gone through as a family.
That weight would have crushed many adults.
Therefore, to see teenagers handle all that pressure with strength and dignity is amazing.
Thames is becoming a young star in Hollywood.
His performance as Finney in “Black Phone 2” effectively combines strength with compassion and vulnerability.
He is not too strong.
He is not too vulnerable.
He is a good mix, like all human beings are.
McGraw does her thing in also.
Being extremely gifted at such a young age makes life difficult to navigate.
Young, gifted people know that they are different.
But they often desperately just want to live normal, young lives.
The key is finding the balance between using their gifts and still maintaining their sanity and normalcy.
Often, those talented people need someone, especially from outside of their family, to appreciate their gifts, while also just appreciating them as a person.
In “Black Phone 2,” Gwen finds that in Ernesto, played well by Mora.
The blurry dream scenes in “Black Phone 2” are great.
Unfortunately, “Black Phone 2” begins a little slowly and is not scary at the beginning.
But the movie is not just about fear.
It is about darkness and how the right light can permanently delete dark forces.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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