A QUIET PLACE PART II REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Following its release in 2018, A Quiet Place was successful both with critics, who praised John Krasinski’s writing and directing and the original and scary premise, and at the box office, making over $340 million. Because of this, a sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, was made and scheduled to be released in cinemas in March last year. Unfortunately, after cinemas were forced to close after the spread of coronavirus, its release was postponed. A Quiet Place Part II has finally been released, however, was the wait worth it?

Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family, mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her three children, Regan (Millicent Simmond), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and her newborn baby son, must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realise that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

Many sequels disappoint as they fail to live up to expectations and feel like uninspired follow-ups that repeat the same story and don’t offer anything new. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with A Quiet Place Part II which is just as intense and thrilling as its predecessor. I can’t imagine those who were impressed with A Quiet Place being disappointed with what Krasinski has created with this sequel which is filled with intense and thrilling sequences. The majority of the previous film takes place long after the monsters have invaded Earth, however, the sequel opens on the first day the aliens invaded. The Abbott family are at a baseball game that Marcus is playing in when the monsters suddenly appear and attack the terrified and screaming crowd. Because they don’t know that the monsters are blind and hunt by sound, almost everyone is killed. I think that this is a great opening to A Quiet Place Part II as it is incredibly intense. Although it’s obvious that the Abbott family survive, not everyone is as lucky and are violently killed by the monsters. A Quiet Place Part II further proves that Krasinski knows how to make a genuinely scary horror film that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the majority of its 97 minute runtime. Because of its short runtime, there aren’t any pacing issues with the story moving at a quick pace, with the tension increasing leading to a riveting climax. 

A Quiet Place Part II was originally scheduled to be released in cinemas in March last year, however, because cinemas were forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t released until recently. While a lot of films have skipped being released in cinemas and gone straight to video on demand, A Quiet Place Part II proves why cinemas are important. They provide audiences with a unique viewing experience that can’t be recreated at home. The several jump scares and the suspense wouldn’t have been as effective when watched at home. Although I don’t really mind watching films at home, I’m easily distracted, however, at the cinema, my focus is entirely on the film and I enjoy it more and that was certainly the case with A Quiet Place Part II. 

Although I’m not the biggest fan of horror films, as I get scared easily, what I liked most about A Quiet Place Part II is that it focuses more on story and characters rather than trying to scare its audience. Since the reopening of cinemas earlier this month, there have been the release of several horror films including Spiral: From the Book of Saw, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Unholy, however, they have received a mixed to negative response from critics and audiences. However, since the release of A Quiet Place Part II, critics have said that it “expands the terrifying world of the franchise without losing its heart” and I agree. It doesn’t feel like a direct copy of its predecessor with both the stories and characters progressing. Despite the traumatic events they’ve been through, the Evelyn, Marcus and Regan have developed into brave individuals. At the end of A Quiet Place, Regan discovered that the monsters are vulnerable to the high frequency sound from her cochlear implant. This leads to her wanting to travel to a radio tower on an island so that she can transmit the high frequency sound. Simmonds’ performance is one of the most impressive aspects of A Quiet Place Part II. Because Simmonds is deaf, she understands Regan and delivers a moving performance. Although Regan is scared, she knows that she has an advantage against the monsters. Her brave actions makes her all the more admirable.

As well as Simmonds, the rest of the cast leave lasting impressions with their performances. Blunt stands out with her portrayal of overprotective mother, Evelyn. Cillian Murphy joins the cast and delivers a strong performance as Emmett, who was friends with Lee and reluctantly agrees to help Evelyn and her family. Because he is sent by Evelyn to go after Regan, Emmett spends most his screen time with her and he becomes like a father figure for her. Unfortunately, while Blunt, Simmonds and Murphy impress with their performances, both Jupe and Djimon Hounsou, who is one of the most underrated actors, are underused. As Evelyn’s oldest son, Marcus, Jupe isn’t given much to do except scream, look scared and take care of his baby brother. Hounsou briefly appears towards the end as a character who lives on the island. What’s most disappointing is that Hounsou’s character isn’t even given a name and is killed off shortly after helping Regan and Emmett. 

The main reason I don’t like horror films is because they rely too much on jump scares and gory violence. What I liked most about A Quiet Place Part II was that it focused more on the story and characters, however, the scene near the beginning where Marcus accidentally gets his foot caught in a bear trap is shocking. Due to the excruciating pain, Marcus screams with Evelyn trying to quieten him whilst freeing his foot from the trap, with the tension quickly increasing. Although A Quiet Place Part II isn’t that violent, squeamish viewers may want to avoid watching this. 

A Quiet Place ended with Evelyn reloading her gun and preparing to kill more monsters, with the sequel picking up shortly after. After several riveting sequences involving Evelyn, who is forced to leave Marcus alone with the baby in order to get medical supplies, A Quiet Place Part II ends with Regan and Emmett fighting off a monster using the high frequency sound from Regan’s cochlear implant. Although I think that this was a great ending, I would like to see a second sequel, involving Regan as she has useful skills that can kill monsters. However, I can understand if Krasinski chooses not to make another sequel. 

With A Quiet Place Part II, writer/director John Krasinski has created a sequel that matches the quality of its predecessor and is a riveting thriller.

8/10