A Quiet Place: Part II
Starring: Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy
Directed By: John Krasinski
Rated: PG-13
I’m a little behind on a few recent theatrical releases, so bear with me as I catch up on reviews. Today I’m talking about A Quiet Place: Part II, the sequel to John Krasinski’s directorial debut thriller A Quiet Place. When I first saw A Quiet Place, I was a little underwhelmed. My biggest issue with the first movie was the way almost nothing was explained. The audience was shown a whiteboard and a few newspaper clippings that attempted to tell us everything about the alien invasion in the first two minutes. A little more background would have been nice. I guess John Krasinski heard me loudly complaining about that in the local Mellow Mushroom after I saw the movie because he gave the audience a lot more background this time around.
A Quiet Place: Part II begins on DAY 1 of the alien invasion. It’s a seemingly normal day for the Abbott family as they enjoy a little league game in small-town Pennsylvania. A fiery beam falls from the sky leading to mass chaos. The first act of the film shows the audience that life was seemingly normal for everyone until the aliens invaded and began hunting humans. The first act is tense, action-packed, and terrifying. After this anxiety-inducing intro, the film cuts to the moments after the first film ended. The family sets out to find other humans eventually running into Emmett (Cillian Murphy), an old friend from the past who lives in an abandoned factory. Can Emmett be trusted after all this time? Can they survive?
A Quiet Place: Part II is a suspenseful sequel that keeps you on the edge of your seat. John Krasinski proves he can direct a movie with skill. He frequently utilizes the cross-cutting technique to show what is happening with all members of the Abbot Family when they are each completing different dangerous tasks. This filmmaking technique could be disastrous but it actually works here making us feel a sense of anxiety for each individual family member through their dire circumstances.
The cast is great throughout the film, with very little dialogue much of the acting is physical and emotive. It would be easy to overact in a film like this but this ensemble does well keeping the audience engaged while maintaining a believable performance. (Well, believable considering the circumstances.) Emily Blunt is Evelyn, the mother trying to hold the family together as the world falls apart. Blunt’s emotional range continues to impress in these films. Noah Jupe is Marcus, the brother who tries to stay strong when disastrous circumstances arise. Cillian Murphy is a newcomer to the cast as Emmett, a man who has lost everything from the alien attacks. Murphy is a rugged outlaw who will do what he can to survive. I was unsure what it would be like with Murphy as the male lead instead of John Krasinski but he is a welcome addition to the cast.
One thing that I appreciate about this franchise is the casting of Millicent Simmonds as Regan. She is, in many ways, the driving force of the second film. Both Millicent Simmonds and her character Regan are both deaf. The film incorporates sign language for that reason. However, sign language is never seen as an inconvenience but something that actually helps the family. Because the Abbott’s learned sign language as a family, they are able to communicate quietly and survive without the creatures hunting them down. Regan’s hearing device even helps defeat the creatures. Something that is seen as a disability to the world actually helps her survive.
There are scenes that start to get repetitive throughout the movie. If you’ve seen the first film, you know the drill. Someone makes noise when they weren’t supposed to. They run. The creature shows up. They continue to run. Repeat sequence. This is a horror movie so I know people are going to make dumb decisions and plenty of dumb decisions were made. But I don’t understand why the family didn’t use Regan’s method to kill every single alien when it was clearly proven to be effective. I guess it’s not as exciting to do that every time.
Although the alien attacks feel repetitive at times, A Quiet Place: Part II is suspenseful sci-fi that builds upon the first film in an intriguing way. The cast turn in great performances that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you want to watch an entertaining 90-minute thriller, check it out.
My Rating: 7/10