A family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, seeking a fresh start. The young couple’s kid, Jude, finds a doll and decides to take it home with them. This doll was from a 2016 film, ‘The Boy.’ This sequel was indeed pointless, as the first movie ended well, without a huge cliffhanger.

The film opened with Liza and her son Jude after they were attacked by intruders in the middle of the night. Following the incident, they were both okay, however, they both had to endure PTSD. Liza has constant nightmares and can barely sleep, while Jude jumps at everything and can no longer communicate verbally.

Jude’s dad, Sean, wasn’t there when the attack happened, but he suggested they move. He figured maybe his family’s stress and anxiety might dissipate if they were in a new environment, one with no terrifying memories attached to it. They decided to move even further into the countryside of London and rented a flat in the middle of nowhere. The house was old, yet charming.

One day when Jude and Liza were on a walk, he finds a doll strangely buried, and decides to take it home. It was a creepy vessel and looked strangely similar to Jude. The pale skin, dark hair, and lifeless eyes strike a chord within him. His parents clean the doll up and Jude instantly becomes attached to it. Concerned about his fast-growing obsession, the parents get in contact with his therapist– figuring out that oftentimes young kids get attached to things like that, and it can actually help them better deal with and get through the trauma. Jude’s new friend has a name as well as a list of rules, and they seem to be completely inseparable. The doll, Brahms, even aided the severity of his PTSD, as Jude began talking to him. Of course, the doll is creepy, but his parents figured that if it’s helping Jude, that it could stay around.

As for the film itself, it was fairly well done. The filming, editing, and directing were all done nicely. The creepy atmosphere was definitely encapsulated throughout. Liza, played by Katie Holmes, was the most convincing character, as she did amazing acting as the mom. She also did exceedingly well with making the nightmares and PTSD look realistic. Sean, played by Owain Yeoman, didn’t have a big role, but when he was included he did well, he seemed stern, yet caring and gentle towards his family. Lastly, Jude, played by Christopher Convery, did very well. He was just the right amount of creepy, but that was his job as a character, which he definitely accomplished. If the film had a good plot, it could’ve been an amazing movie, the potential was there.

Overall, the movie wasn’t that great. Personally, I really loved the first movie. In the end, once the viewers discover what was going on, it was fun to try to reconnect the pieces and figure it all out. However, the second movie fell short. As a fan, I was excited to go see it, however, I was confused as to what it could possibly be about, as the last movie seemed to wrap up neatly. The only thing that remained the same was the doll, but even the message of the doll was changed, which doesn’t make sense to a plot. Every character was different, as well as the storyline. Even though it was a sequel, the movies didn’t seem connected whatsoever. After the movie, the dots don’t connect as it was confusing and frustrating. There were some repeated symbols, yet they didn’t connect to the plot or help progress it. Honestly, it’s one of those movies where I felt like all I did was waste time and money. I recommend saving your money or going to a different movie. Especially if you’re a fan of the first one, I would avoid watching the sequel. This movie dulled the light on the boy in general.