'The Woman In Black 2 Angel Of Death' Review: Little Action, Thin Plot Prove a Problem for Dark Movie

Creating a sequel to a popular horror movie often invites problems, and "The Woman In Black: Angel of Death" has a ton of them, including very little action and a wafer-thin plot.

To a large extent, Daniel Radcliffe, star of the first "Woman In Black" movie that was released in 2012, helped make it a hit. The current movie however, largely relies on the presence of Phoebe Fox who plays Eve Parkins, a schoolteacher, and Jeremy Irvine as Harry Burnstow, a RAF pilot. However, the Telegraph notes that the formula the first film took did not work in the sequel and that the characters of Parkins and Burnstow were not well developed.

The lack of a solid plot surrounding the presence of Burnstow in the film and why the children were taken to the Eel Marsh house that was cut off by the tides were pointed out by the Guardian. In its review, it noted that the film had moments that would make people "jolt and shudder" awake but otherwise it lacked action. It noted that even the RAF airfield where Bunstow was supposedly stationed turned out to be fake.

Meanwhile the New York Times gave full marks on the film's setting, which happened during the air raids in London during World War II. The first film took place earlier during the Edwardian period. It noted that the time jump between the action in the first movie and the current film explained why the locals had forgotten about the haunted house and why they did not bother to warn the children to stay away from the house. The review also noted that the film did not build on the elegance which was seen in the initial scenes.

Variety in its review noted that the film was low in scares, but branded it nevertheless as "handsomely made." On the performances of the cast, Variety said even though they bring a fair amount of intensity to their performances, they lack Radcliffe's "anguished grace" which characterized his role in the first film.