A Quiet Place Part II signified the return to the movie theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, the John Krasinski (Promised Land, Away We Go) directed sequel to 2018’s surprisingly successful A Quiet Place was tabled for its March 2020 release just before the global pandemic ravaged the world. I give movies like Tenet, News of the World, and Wonder Woman 1984 much credit for releasing their films during the year, knowing they would earn far less revenue than if they had waited. I don’t fault movies for delaying their release, but I applaud the big-budget ones that did not. While 2020 allowed more independent films to take center stage at the theaters that continued operating during the shutdown, those movies didn’t necessarily succeed. It was an abysmal year overall for movies. I did go to the theaters 10-15 times between mid-March 2020 and mid-May 2021. Except for once or twice, only a dozen or so people were at my shows.
A Quiet Place Part II was remarkable in many ways that had nothing to do with the movie itself. I loved the return of the blockbuster. I loved seeing this movie released in several auditoriums at the same multiplex (there was a start time every 15 minutes on opening day). And I loved being in a theater again with people who could shriek and scream at the same time as me. It was very cool to watch the movie again with so many others. Many of us will remember A Quiet Place Part II as the movie that we associate with the end of the pandemic. If that’s the case, our return to the theaters was worth the wait.
If you haven’t seen A Quiet Place first, you should. This one is called “Part II” because it’s a continuation of a story rather than a completely different one. Outside the first 15-20 minutes, the film picks up directly after the first one concludes. I recommend reading this spoiler recap. Part II certainly lacked the originality of the first one, but how could it not? A Quiet Place was one of the most original movies in recent memory. First-time director Krasinski, known for his antics and pranks on the sitcom The Office, was able to bring audiences in for a horror film that had virtually no dialogue throughout the entire runtime while still being able to keep them on the edge of their seats, was an achievement. In a single effort, he shredded the mold of being typecast as “Jim from The Office,” something so many other actors could never do.
A Quiet Place Part II flowed less effortlessly than the first one regarding storyline, flow, and believability. While I am glad that Krasinski didn’t simply spit out the same formula that worked for the first one, there were some headscratchers with this film. Part II had considerably more action and at least three to four times as much dialogue. Again, that’s perfectly okay. It even felt preferable because of the advancing of the storyline. This film felt tenser with the known (seeing these now well-known monsters close up much more frequently) than the unknown, which the first relied so much upon. Krasinski chose to advance the story directly after the first film’s final sequence. That was good, except for ***spoiler: Lee (Krasinski) dies moments beforehand ***. There was no grieving process. It would have been easier to move the story a few weeks in the future so that when we meet up with these characters again, they would have had a little while to process the loss of Lee. It’s hard to see a family able to move on within the same day of loving a husband/father.
While I understand that this was survival mode, it made it challenging to see wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt – Sicario, The Girl on the Train) and children Regan (Millicent Simmonds – Wonderstruck) and Marcus (Noah Jupe – Honey Boy, Ford v Ferrari) so calm so quickly. Minor, but noteworthy. What was neat about this film was that the first 15-20 minutes picked up on Day 1 of the event. Whereas we never saw the alien invasion in the first film, we get to see that on full display here. It’s a well-shot, extended scene that shows how fast, intelligent, and strong the aliens are and their mission to kill everything in their path for no apparent reason. Most of the trailer for the movie centers around this first scene. No trailer in 2020 got me more excited about a film than this one.
Our newest player in Part II is Emmett (Cillian Murphy – 28 Days Later, Oppenheimer), a survivor devasted by the destruction and loss of the family. We are introduced to him on Day 1 as his son and Marcus are on the same Little League baseball team. He’s a pretty happy, nonchalant father. But he’s also a far cry from that man when we meet him again on Day 444. He’s living alone in an abandoned factory near the destroyed Lee family farm they have been forced to leave.
When Marcus steps into one of Emmett’s bear traps, the former family friend feels obligated to take them in, albeit temporarily. During their night together, Regan becomes aware that there is an asylum somewhere not too far away. Since we need a story, 13-year-old Regan sets off to find this refuge alone. Knowing she cannot leave the injured Marcus or her baby, Evelyn implores Emmett to go after her daughter and bring her back. This sets up an engrossing adventure, though it seems a little ironic that the film’s biggest star in Blunt and the more well-known children in Jupe mostly take a backseat the rest of the way. However, they still have their own stories. You’ve just got to roll with the punches regarding the story. You’ll be fine if you don’t question why characters expose themselves to specific situations.
Krasinski did a remarkable thing with his parallel sequencing of three different storylines. He cuts back and forth between events happening with Emmett/Regan, Evelyn, and Marcus on multiple occasions. It’s a neat enhancement that works exceptionally well in a film that has already been built around so many nonverbal cues and interactions. The score that slowly intensifies as Krasinski adroitly switches between three lenses is another example of a director ahead of his game. As enjoyable as he is in front of the camera, he has an even better natural knack behind it.
I enjoyed A Quiet Place Part II a lot. I’m glad this was my first big-budget movie experience in the theater. It felt like a return to home.
Plot 8/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 8.5/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
89.5%
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