A QUIET PLACE PART II (2021)
Updated: Dec 12, 2022
A Solid Continuation of the Horror Hit
Grade: A
One of the most common premises in horror is that of people being hunted in the dark by some inhuman force. Alien (1979) greatly popularized this idea, so much so that it became stale over the years. But A Quiet Place (2018), directed by John Krasinski, turned this premise on its head with an intriguing new twist: the monsters are blind but have an acute sense of hearing, meaning even the tiniest noise can attract them. This naturally meant that the dialogue in the film had to be significantly reduced, allowing the silence to create an atmosphere of suspense which engrossed the audience. A Quiet Place was a critical and box-office smash, so its inevitable follow-up had the unenviable task of living up to it. A Quiet Place Part II fulfills this task, delivering more of the edge-of-your-seat terror and desperation that permeated its predecessor.
A Quiet Place told the story of the Abbotts, a family who lived on an isolated farm while hiding from the blind alien monsters, who came to Earth in a cloud of meteors. The film ended with the father, Lee (Krasinski) sacrificing himself to save his children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), and the aliens’ weakness revealed: a high frequency that causes physical pain to them. Part II opens with a riveting prologue set before the first film, depicting the aliens first attacking the Abbotts’ town. The perspectives of the attack are strictly those of the family and those around them. In several shots, the characters are driving; when this happens, the camera’s point of view never exits the vehicles, putting the audience right next to Abbotts as they scramble to escape.
The film then fast-forwards to right after the end of the first movie, with Regan, Marcus, their mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), and their newborn baby brother being forced to leave their home to find the source of a mysterious bonfire that Regan spotted before. They arrive at an industrial area and find Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a friend of Lee’s who has lost all hope after the deaths of his wife and son. When Marcus hears a song on the radio, Regan traces it to an island and decides to set out to it in order to broadcast the alien-weakening frequency over the radio tower so others who hear the transmission can use it against the monsters.
As with the first film, A Quiet Place Part II is all about the tension. Writer/director Krasinski once again increases the scares to almost unbearable levels, thanks in large part to the continued use of silence to generate suspense. On a few occasions, the screenplay calms down for a few minutes to allow the audience to breathe while being lulled into a false sense of security, making the inevitable return of the scares (whether it be the sudden appearance of a creature or the implication of one) all the more shocking. The horror reaches its peak in the second act when the heroes are separated. The screenplay moves back and forth between Regan and Emmett (who went out to find her) being attacked by insane humans, Evelyn getting medicine in the abandoned town, and Marcus and the baby being pursued by a creature. We are given two terrifying scenes simultaneously, magnifying the tension all the more.
To more casual moviegoers, A Quiet Place Part II may look like a rehash of the first movie, albeit in different locations, with the same reliance of silence and creature attacks to deliver scares. But like any good sequel, Part II shows how its characters changed since the first movie. The biggest level of development is with Regan, who was clearly inspired by her father’s sacrifice and now wants to help her family and others, fueling her single-minded devotion to her quest. At the movie’s conclusion, Marcus approaches the same level of courage as his sister.
The ending of A Quiet Place Part II is not quite a cliffhanger, but it is open-ended enough to make audiences exited for where the story goes next. Unlike many movie franchises, which have a hook strategically placed at the end to create interest or suspense, the action in Part II simply stops after certain things happen. This is a much more effective way to set up a sequel because it is an organic part of the movie instead of a teaser. Hopefully we will not have long to wait for a follow-up, for if it is anywhere as good as the first two, it will be worth getting excited for.
Director: John Krasinski
Screenplay: John Krasinski (Based on characters created by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck)
Producers: Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt (Evelyn Abbott), Cillian Murphy (Emmett), Millicent Simmonds (Regan Abbott), Noah Jupe (Marcus Abbott), Djimon Hounsou (Man on the Island), John Krasinski (Lee Abbott)
Rated: PG-13 (for terror, violence and bloody/disturbing images)
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