Some of the fights are impressive, most of the destruction routine and a large part of the dialogue perfunctory.

That nun/nut keeps popping up at various times, and The Conjuring 2 does an unsatisfying work of tying it up with the rest of the story.

Both Russell Crowe as the washed-up, rough-edged bouncer-on-hire Healy, and Ryan Gosling as the cynical, heavy-drinking private investigator March are good and cleverly cast.

You realise that the only reason Through the Looking Glass is different from its many special-effect summer counterparts is its fascinating characters sprung from the book.

This film is more content playing on its old, successful themes, including a Windex spray, and even inveigles a wedding between Toula’s still-squabbling parents under the flimsiest of pretexts to justify the title.

Julia Roberts is especially good as her role almost entirely involves emoting through her voice, but even George Clooney nicely moderates his charisma to appear desperate and downright unlikable in parts.

An infinitesimal number, hopefully, do so chasing an “aatma” that resides in a locket in this Sharman Joshi, Meera Chopra starrer…

The Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr film is as competent a montage as Marvel has been mounting lately, without breaking any new grounds.

One wishes one could say for its star cast, impressive as it is. However, if the dazzling, imposing Theron is missing but for a few minutes of snarling venom at the end, the others are, to say the least, far from fairy-like.

Haunt, of course, is a euphemism, for this creature inspired by Munch’s Scream generates all but a few giggles.