A Quiet Place Part II is the sequel to John Krasinski’s hit directorial debut which released in 2018. Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds return as the remaining members of the Abbot family and are joined by newcomer Cillian Murphy who plays their neighbor and fellow survivor, Emmett. Together they must survive in a world in which making even the slightest of noises will attract the attention of the deadly alien creatures that have taken over the world.
2018's A Quiet Place made its mark in pop culture as a high concept horror movie executed almost to perfection, and captured the attention of audiences everywhere. By pairing the instantly compelling ‘stay quiet’ concept with a moving family story, helped along by the involvement of the perfect Hollywood couple, John Kransinski and Emily Blunt, in addition to break-out young stars Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds, it was a perfect horror-thriller experience. A sequel was almost inevitable and, given the box office numbers so far, it is one that audiences were clamouring for. Luckily, Part II lives up to the thrills of the first movie, avoiding the dreaded 'sequel-itis' curse.
The opening scene of A Quiet Place Part II, a flashback to Day One of the alien invasion, has been the focus of much of the marketing material but that does not make it any less exhilarating to watch. Krasinski ingeniously uses a long take to wrap us up in the normality of the pre-invasion world. The nonchalant way in which Lee Abbot (Krasinski) plucks groceries off the supermarket shelves is an effective contrast against the silent opening scene of the first movie set in the very same store. We are then thrust into a loud baseball game: it speaks to the staying power of the first film’s tension that the audience instantly feels uneasy at the noise. (This parallel between a normal world and the abandoned one has been noted in terms of its eerie echo with post-Covid-19 life.) The alien invasion then begins abruptly, leading to a thrill ride of a sequence, orchestrated to perfection and absolutely enthralling to watch as we see the characters try to survive the initial attack. Krasinski directs the stunts and action in this sequence as though he has years of experience with this sort of thing.
The movie then picks up directly in the wake of the first movie's finale, a clever decision that immediately thrusts the audience back into the narrative, stakes, and emotion after Lee's sacrifice. The rest of the story follows the struggles of the remaining Abbots as they try to move on past his death and find their own way in the world (not an easy feat with a day old baby), recruiting the help of neighbour, Emmett (Cillian Murphy) along the way.
A Quiet Place Part II is a brilliant post-apocalyptic thrill ride. With the Abbot family separated and moving along differing storylines, the movie is constructed in such a way that the build up of tension in each of the narrative threads perfectly aligns in a masterful feat of editing and directing. It is in these mirrored sequences that the film shines, wringing each drop of tension out of a situation and then providing crowd pleasing pay-offs where the characters get to display their courage and intelligence in order to survive. This resourcefulness is part of what makes this family so easy to root for, along with the brilliant performances across the board- including a stand out performance by young actress, Millicent Simmonds, even more so than in her debut in 2018.
Krasinski’s confident handle on tension and pacing cannot be overstated. Apart from a few jump-scares that may become a little cheap upon re-watch, his action sequences are beautifully set-up and orchestrated, utilising the in-built fear that he has earned by relentlessly training the audience to be wary of the danger of every little noise. The film never spoon feeds the audience in terms of exposition and instead uses understated storytelling to piece together each potential environmental danger, so that the audience is hyper-aware of every single thing that could go wrong for the characters.
The themes within the movie, particularly that of the nature of humanity are nothing ground-breaking and seen in various other post-apocalyptic and survival media, however it services the plot sufficiently. Speaking of which, to those well versed in post-apocalyptic stories like Children of Men, The Road, The Walking Dead and The Last of Us (was anyone getting Joel and Ellie vibes from Murphy and Simmonds by the way?), some of the character decisions will be a little frustrating. Though these choices are necessary to propel the story forward, it stands in contrast to the relatively natural series of events that led to the finale of the first movie.
The finale of the movie has been criticised by some for being open-ended but personally I found it to be no more open-ended than that of the first. It wrapped up the central themes of the story very nicely, and Marco Beltrami’s score- which was a welcome return if largely a repetition of his work in the first film- particularly soars in the finale, making for a massively satisfying and emotional conclusion. It is fair to argue that the movie does not delve into the ugliness of a post-apocalypse humanity with as much brutality as The Walking Dead, or achieve the moving emotional arc of the parent-child bond in The Road or The Last of Us. However, A Quiet Place’s strength, apart from its focus on family, is in its optimistic theme of finding strength within yourself to survive. This is exactly what made the ending of the first film so emotionally satisfying and it's so clear that Krasinski made these films as a love letter to his children.
Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is an intelligent and compelling thrill ride that largely stands up against the first film (indeed, the idea of watching both as a double-feature has me very excited.) The execution of its elongated, tense sequences is a centrepiece of the movie, even if the premise isn't quite as fresh as it was when we first were introduced to it. The compact length (a run time of 1 h 37 min) is a breath of fresh air compared to the bloated blockbusters as of late, but perhaps does make the film veer more towards a less memorable action-based experience as opposed to the more thoughtful nature of the first movie. Its staying power remains to be seen with time and subsequent re-watches, however the strength of the performances and exciting action elevates the story. It is also a perfect cinema experience, and one that I was glad to have caught in the theatre after almost a whole year without going to the cinema. It’s good to be back.
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