A Quiet Place Part II is one of the most anticipated releases of the year, especially given that it was delayed last year due to the pandemic. It’s not only as good as its predecessor- in some ways, it’s even better.
We begin with a flashback that shows the Abbott family as they attend a little league baseball game that’s interrupted by the arrival of the deadly aliens that hunt based on sound. In the present, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is leading her children, Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds) to a new place while also taking care of her new child, whom she keeps in a suitcase with an oxygen mask so that his crying doesn’t alert the creatures. They eventually run into Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a family friend who has also suffered great personal loss. When Regan heads off on her own to investigate a mysterious radio channel that plays the song Beyond the Sea on repeat, Emmett sets out to bring her back, while Evelyn and Marcus stay back at Emmett’s hideout, an abandoned factory.
John Krasinski proves he’s no one hit wonder as a director.
He deftly balances tension and pacing, and it never feels like the characters are out of danger, even when they are hiding inside a furnace. As the family also communicates using sign language, Krasinski also has to dole out crucial information using that method of communication. The cinematography is also on point, showing the world in close quarters where stepping on leaves with bare feet can mean the difference between life and death.
Cillian Murphy is a welcome addition to the cast, bringing to life a man with a haunted past. His story with Regan feels like a treatise of The Last of Us set in the Quiet Place universe. The film is also tightly placed, running around 90 minutes. The climax takes a two-fold approach as both Evelyn and Marcus at the factory and then Regan and Emmett at an island refuge have to deal with the deadly aliens. It gives a different ending than the first film, opening the narrative up for new stories.
Unfortunately, while Emily Blunt gets top billing, she doesn’t really have much of a story or a character arc. It’s Regan, played by deaf actress Simmonds, who’s the star here, and even Marcus also gets to step up and save his family.
Like most apocalyptic stories that venture into new territory, A Quiet Place Part II also deals with the ‘humans are the real monsters’ trope during the midpoint. Thankfully, it doesn’t stretch it out too much and we also see good people who are trying to build a life after the end of the world.
If you are a fan of horror and tense thrillers, don’t miss out on this film. It’s a showcase of great direction and cinematography, and hopefully, if Krasinski does do another sequel, it will also feel like a worthy story to tell instead of a cash grab.