Name : Kyle Anderson / Alias : Entertainment Weekly
Sinister 2 doesn't know what it wants to be, and doesn't add up to much.

Name : John Semley / Alias : Globe and Mail
Nothing in Sinister 2 comes across as believably scary.

Name : Andy Webster / Alias : New York Times
Despite Mr. Ransone's goofy charm, "Sinister 2" can't claim the same finesse, substituting pedestrian plotting and a more graphic gore for the original's restraint.

Name : Kyle Smith / Alias : New York Post
A serviceable if somewhat redundant horror sequel that dribbles out its secrets slowly, "Sinister 2" doesn't have a particularly satisfying end - it's somehow both too drawn-out and abrupt - but it's got creepiness galore.

Name : Wesley Morris / Alias : Grantland
There comes a point when you have to say no to these horror sequels. There's no skill or idea visible anywhere, just the sound of money being sucked from your pockets.

Name : Bilge Ebiri / Alias : New York Magazine/Vulture
This sequel, as rough as it is, might be more worthwhile than its 2012 original.

Name : Keith Uhlich / Alias : AV Club
Not a moment of Sinister 2 is convincing or frightening, mostly due to the uber-stilted child acting and the flat, overlit visual palette, which pales in comparison to what Derrickson and cinematographer Chris Norr achieved on the shadow-laden first film.

Name : Rafer Guzman / Alias : Newsday
Creepy kids and sick jokes make for meager scares, but Ransone is likable as the film's beleaguered hero.

Name : Robert Abele / Alias : Los Angeles Times
Nothing about "Sinister 2" comes close to the feel-bad ode to literally and figuratively dark interiors that distinguished the title-earning original.

Name : Andrew Barker / Alias : Variety
Anyone who found the original a cut above the average horror pic will likely leave the theater disappointed, if not downright insulted.

Name : Katharine Pushkar / Alias : New York Daily News
Baghuul . looks like the lead singer in a Norwegian forest metal band.

Name : James Berardinelli / Alias : ReelViews
Although Sinister 2 continues the story begun in Scott Derrickson's creepily effective Sinister, it feels more like an unnecessary retread than an organic extension of the original.

Name : Justin Lowe / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
Sinister 2 comes up a bit short on creative resources, although director Ciaran Foy probably gets enough right to entice those partial to the original.

Name : Guy Lodge / Alias : Variety
Despite rugged craft and a seaworthy ensemble, Kevin Macdonald's low-key submarine thriller never quite sparks to life.

Name : Trevor Johnston / Alias : Time Out
Old-fashioned storytelling values and zeitgeisty relevance make for a worthy addition to sub-aquatic cinema's nerve-juddering legacy.

Name : Dave White / Alias : TheWrap
Perhaps realizing that enticing nonbelievers into another movie about the life of Christ may necessitate the wild-style of a director like Darren Aronofsky, the filmmakers decided to play it safe rather than risk conservative Evangelical rejection.

Name : Christian Holub / Alias : Entertainment Weekly
The Young Messiah struggles to hold its audience's attention.

Name : Keith Uhlich / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
This uninspiring, borderline inept spiritual drama about the Son of God's formative years preaches to the choir.

Name : Noel Murray / Alias : Los Angeles Times
At times, this movie feels too much like the Christian version of "The Phantom Menace," offering unnecessary explanations for well-known stories.

Name : Andy Webster / Alias : New York Times
"The Young Messiah" performs no miracles.

Name : Christy Lemire / Alias : RogerEbert.com
We know how the story ends, so there's little in the way of tension.

Name : Nick Schager / Alias : Variety
This pious drama is a work of minimal imagination and even less subtlety.