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Film: A Quiet Place Part II
Year: 2020
Director: John Krasinski
Writer: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy
Review:
This was a movie that I was interested in checking out because of how good of a theater experience I had with the original. This was another of those films that was caught in the pushback of theaters being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the vaccine and things seeming to go back to normal somewhat, this one is finally getting its run which is where Jaime and I saw it. We also rewatched the original a couple days before as a refresher. The synopsis here is following the events at home, the Abbott family now faces the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.
I will put in here now that there is going to be slight spoilers to the original movie. Without them, I couldn’t give a brief recap as this does pick up right where the last one ended.
We start this off actually on Day 1. Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) parks his truck along Main Street and the town is quiet. He goes into a store to buy some items and the man running it is distracted. On the news there is a report about a bomb going off in what I believe was Hong Kong. I could be wrong on the location. You get the feel this is a small town as Lee has a tab. He then goes over to the baseball field, where everyone seems to be watching a little league game. Lee goes to the stands where he sits with his daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds). His friend sits diagonal behind him of Emmett (Cillian Murphy).
While Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) is up to bat, in the sky something is streaking across on fire. This family’s world along with the rest of the town is turned upside down with whatever the creatures were from the previous movie attack.
We then shift to present day, right after the events of the first movie. Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) along with Regan, Marcus and their newborn set out. They’ve discovered a way to kill these creatures, but due to the events of that fateful night during the climax of the previous movie, they need to find a new place to hold up.
They follow the sand path Lee made as far as it goes and they go beyond it. Lee knew there were at least 2 other creatures living in the area. They are heading in the direction of the closest signal fire they could see each night. This leads them to a foundry where Emmett is living. Marcus is injured and another creature forces them back into hiding.
It is then they discover a song playing over the radio. I believe it is Frank Sinatra’s Over the Sea’. Regan thinks there is something more to it and it could lead them to a way where they could kill off the rest of the creatures that are living in the area. In order to do this though, this group is going to have to put their lives on the line where fear runs deep.
Where I want to start here is stating that I like what this movie does. I don’t watch trailers for horror movies anymore, but going to the movies with Jaime, I did catch a bit of this one. I’m not upset with the trailer as it does show a scene that was pretty early into the movie. It is a tense one though. I like that we open this one up on Day 1 of this new world. Since the original jumped in at Day 89, a sequel should fill in more of the story and that’s what we get here.
Once the movie picks up after the events of the first one, it works as well. I don’t necessarily agree that they need to move on. They know how to kill the creatures, their farm isn’t that destroyed and it seems closer to town. I’m not going to harp on this though. With what they went through that fateful night before, I can see moving on due to the sadness that could be there. The movie does well in explaining certain things like why Lee, who seems quite intelligent, couldn’t discover this radio station that is still running. Another thing as well, I think this movie does well in establishing a bit more about these creatures. I’m glad they don’t over-explain them though. No one is an expert and can only share what they’ve discovered.
Taking this one to the road allows them to expand the world more. We learn more about Emmett and where he’s staying. I like seeing what other people are doing to survive since it is similar while also being different. Staying in an industrial forge like he is makes sense with how ore is refined. We also get to meet some bad people that he warns the group of. There is also something quite important we learn as we near the third act as well.
That seems to recap the story enough there so I think next I’ll shift to the acting. Across the board I’m glad they got all of the actors back so that is good. Blunt is solid as this mother that needs help. That’s not to say she isn’t strong, but she has 3 children. Regan is strong willed and helps her, but Marcus needs to find that strength. He is nervous by nature. I like that we get a bit of Krasinski here. He’s good for that cameo. Simmonds is really good as Regan for me. I like that she’s taking on that lead role that is left vacant and thinks she can save everyone. Jupe annoys me. It isn’t his performance; his character just needs to step up. I believe it though and it works for me. There would be a minor gripe that the kids aged too much in the 2 years, but I’m not going to hold it against the movie. They got them back. I did like the addition of Murphy. He’s an actor I’m a fan of and he fit right in. Aside from that, I’d say the addition of Djimon Hounsou and the rest of the cast rounded this out as well.
Something that I really liked about the original movie was the sound design. This movie does it very well again. It works for me when they’re focusing on Regan and it goes completely silent. We’re experiencing it how she would. I’ll be honest; it is even more effective here for where her character goes. The use of quiet is well done and I think that the music fits to help build the tension of the scene. This is again one of the strongest parts of the move.
Then finally I’ll go over the cinematography and the effects. For the former, I think this movie is shot very well. It looks great to me and I’d say that it feels like the world has ended. I’d also say that the effects are solid. The creatures are CGI, but I don’t have problems with it. When done right, it works. I also think that the limited blood we get looks good as do when characters are injured. No real issues here.
That’s all I really wanted to delve into here so in conclusion, I thought this was a good follow up to the original one. For a sequel, I think that we really need to take what the first does and expands on it. That is what we get here. The movie fills us in on the events of the beginning of the world ending and then we pick up where the last one was. With the original being more contained, we explore this world more here. I think the acting is good, the effects work for me and the cinematography was solid. The sound design of the movie was great and the soundtrack fit. I’d say this is a good movie. If you like the original, I think you’ll enjoy this one. To be honest, I think more will find this to be better to be honest as some of the issues in the previous aren’t necessarily here for me.
My Rating: 8 out of 10