A Quiet Place Part II

Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, John Krasinski, Djimon Hounsou, Okieriete Onaodowan, Scoot McNairy
Directed by: John Krasinski
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Horror, Science Fiction
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Abbott family leaves their home and ventures out into the world inhabited by the creatures.

Review:

Tim: I absolutely loved A Quiet Place and I couldn't wait to see A Quiet Place Part II. While this movie doesn't quite reach the level of the original, I still loved it. It's a tremendous movie, one of the better horror sequels I've seen in many years. It furthers the story from the original without making the mistake of treading the exact same ground, or feeling like it had to vastly increase the scope. John Krasinski's excellent direction is a big differentiator for this film. In short, I was a big fan of this movie.

It's always hard when movies try to replicate the run away success of a film. A Quiet Place felt like masterclass storytelling. It might have been inevitable that this film doesn't quite get to that same level. The novelty has worn off just a bit. There's also not as many iconic or instantly classic moments in this film. However, that doesn't mean it's not a great movie. Krasinski doubles down on the execution, crafting an especially compelling film that connects with the first one, broadens the scope a bit, but never loses its focus on the characters. Looking at history, horror sequels are notoriously difficult to get right. There's so many ways a film can easily go astray. If you make the movie too similar, it's a failure. If you depart too drastically from the formula of the original, it can be a failure. A Quiet Place Part II walks this line and remains perfectly balanced. It holds our attention, it furthers the story, while still giving us the gut-clenching intense scenes we expect. The movie ultimately might play it a bit too safe (verses some of the big risks the first film took), but it's forgivable.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is the beginning. We start off by going backwards in time to see when the creatures first arrived. This was a brilliant way to open the movie. First off, it allows us to see John Krasinski again. He's not in this movie much, but he makes tremendous use of the screen time he does have. I felt genuine pleasure and excitement about seeing him on screen. It also reminds us of the story and feel of the film- by looking back, we're more easily able to venture forward with the characters. It helps that those were some of the most compelling scenes of the film. And, knowing how much of the rest of the film would be quiet, it was fun to see people living their lives normally and not being concerned about muffling every sound.

The story was good and I appreciated that the movie seemed to focus on telling an intimate story. The world is certainly broadened, but the film keeps a tight run time (1 hour, 37 minutes). This was somewhat unexpected- so many sequels become bloated, as they try to cram too much into it. This movie takes the opposite approach and the film is better for it. By the end of the movie, the time feels like it flew by so quickly, it leaves you wanting more. It's pretty rare these days that a movie ends and I just want it to keep going. I wish more movies would take this approach. It certainly amped me up for the (hopefully) inevitable third film.

I will say that while I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, it's obvious this movie took fewer risks than the original. There's some surprises, but not as many. This was a little disappointing- the risks of the original are a big reason why that's such a great movie. This film was hurt somewhat by playing it safe. Fortunately, Krasinski's direction helps to make up for this.

The cast was strong. It felt like Emily Blunt has less to do this time around. I wish she had more of the focus, but I understand why the story went in this direction. I wasn't a big fan of Millicent Simmonds in the first film. I thought she was slightly better here, but so much of the film focused on her. That hurts the movie slightly. Cillian Murphy was a tremendous addition to the cast and he gives a great supporting performance. I'm a huge fan of Noah Jupe and I always love to see his work. It was fun to see Djimon Hounsou in a small role and Scoot McNairy in a nearly unrecognizable one. The cast as a whole worked really well.

A Quiet Place Part II delivers a powerful, entertaining story. It might not be as great as the first one, but it gets awfully close. I'd consider this a great film and a truly compelling horror movie. It's rare for the first two movies in a horror franchise to be great films, so these movies deserve all the credit in the world. I love John Krasinski's direction and I cannot wait to see where they go from here.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
A Quiet Place, Bird Box