To expand upon my quick thoughts in the video, A Quiet Place Part II is a post-apocalyptic horror film and sequel to the 2018 film, A Quiet Place. John Krasinski returns as the writer, producer, director, and actor; appearing in a flashback sequence set before the events of the first film. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe also reprise their roles from the first film while Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou join the cast. The story picks up right after the end of the first film with the Abbott family looking for a new place to live as well as other survivors after the devastating loss of the family’s patriarch, Lee Abbott, to one of the creatures.
John Krasinski once again proves that he is a fantastic director. He doesn’t waste any time in the film to tell a good, well-paced story. This film is only seven minutes longer than the first but is just as balanced and engaging. The plot is simple to follow and everything looks and sounds beautiful. The film opens on day one of the event in which the creatures arrived. We find out that they are in fact aliens that arrived via multiple asteroids that hit across the planet. Within minutes of the impact, they begin to attack where there is sound. Here we get to see how quickly Lee Abbott deduces how the creatures behave and does his best to save his family and others around him.
The acting in this movie was truly astounding. Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds) is bumped up to the lead protagonist this time around with Emmett (Cillian Murphy) being the deuteragonist. With Regan, we get more of a view of how this character experiences the world. Whenever she is the focus, all of the sounds are very low and muffled. Sight becomes the most important medium as we look for what is happening around her. Other characters can hear the aliens coming, but Regan has to be extra careful about the noise that she is potentially making because of her lack of hearing. Regan has also noticeably grown from the events of the first film and shown to have a sense of humor. She is willing to do what it takes to get the information about killing the aliens out so that other survivors can have a fighting chance. Then there is Emmett who has pretty much given up on life. He’s not to the point of going outside and just screaming, but he is alone and tired. He lost his children on day one and his wife to cancer not long after. Knowing that he couldn’t save any of them is his biggest regret. His journey with Regan feels like a second chance as now he can help save many others. It’s also alluded to that he has had some interaction with other survivors since the incident. He mentions that “they aren’t worth saving,” showing that they have degraded into savages doing whatever it takes to survive.
As for the side characters, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) are also great this time around. Their storyline is mainly taking care of the newborn baby while Emmett is out with Regan. A horrific accident happens to Marcus early on that is very reminiscent of the “nail scene” in the first movie that makes for some of the best suspense I’ve ever seen in a theater. Djimon Hounsou also appears in a small role having a great conversation with Emmett about his experiences during the early days of the aliens’ arrival. This information can very well be taken as set up for the third film or the spin-off.
A Quiet Place is a film that never needed a sequel. Very reminiscent of an old Twilight Zone episode, I was happy with how the story concluded. However, A Quiet Place Part II feels very much like a continuation of the same story we were presented with rather than taking the same characters on a brand-new adventure. This is all in part to Krasinski’s superb storytelling. He made a sequel that felt natural with new characters being introduced seamlessly. Hence the Part II in the title actually makes sense. The ending of the original film and this one does feel like an intermission so that the viewer can take a break before returning for the next section.
Overall, the film is not as scary as the previous installment, but that is only because we know what the creatures are and how they operate. Therefore, we know exactly what to expect as an audience member when a character makes a loud noise. This however does not stop the buildup of tension when those moments happen. There are also some elements of the other survivors that can draw comparisons to The Walking Dead. I give A Quiet Place Part II a Decent 8.5/10. This is still one of the best horror franchises in years and I’m very interested to see where Krasinski takes the story in A Quiet Place Part III and the untitled spinoff film.