Annabelle: Creation Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

3. Anthony LaPaglia & Miranda Otto Are Mostly Wasted

Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto lead the movie's cast as Samuel and Esther Mullins, a couple who suffered through a terrible tragedy over a decade prior, and are now operating an orphanage for young girls out of their home.

Unfortunately, the script doesn't really give the talented pair much of interest to do. LaPaglia seems like he's going to get something meaty to work with but mostly just walks around staring creepily at the girls and telling them not to misbehave, while Otto spends the majority of the movie confined to a bed and hamming it up for the cheap seats.

Both definitely deserved better, and perhaps if the story has been restructured somewhat (with a mid-film flashback instead being placed chronologically), their characters might've played as a little more interesting. They're not bad by any means, just surprisingly small fixtures in the movie all things considered.