A Quiet Place Part 2 – Atmospheric World Builder
Director: John Krasinski
Writer: John Krasinski (Screenplay) Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (Characters)
Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski
Plot: Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face 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.
Tagline – Silence Isn’t Enough
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: A Quiet Place Part II starts in the aftermath of the first film with Evelyn (Blunt) needing to guide her children Regan (Simmonds), Marcus (Jupe) and new born baby boy to a new place for safety, which will guide them towards one of the flames from the valley.
The flame is home to town friend Emmett (Murphy) who has his own stories from the time since the invasion and reluctantly helps the family find a new place for safety.
Thoughts on A Quiet Place Part II
Characters & Performances – Evelyn is the mother that must guide her children to safety, still injured and recovering from childbirth, she will risk her own life to make sure they remain safe through the film. Knowing the new weapon against the creatures, she is prepared to come out of just hiding now. Emily Blunt is great in her role, even if she seems to step away from the leading role more. Regan is the eldest daughter, she is deaf, which makes her used to the world of silence, she is still wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps to become the one to lead the family to safety, she will become the leading figure in the film, with her side of the story being the most interesting. Millicent Simmonds truly shines in this role, she is by far the best part of the film with ease. Emmett is the friend from the town, he has been alone for a while, creating his own safety place within the world, he is reluctant to help the family and shows he will do what he can to make sure the family is safe. Cillian Murphy does bring this reluctant figure to life well, but it is hard to move away from the Jim role from 28 Days Later. Marcus is the middle child of the family, he has always struggled with pressure and it continues to show here, even making him the most annoying character in the film. Noah Jupe does well with the character, it does just feel like it is written weakly.
Story – The story here continues to follow the Abbott family after the attack they have just been through by the hands of the creatures, they need to find a new place for safety, one which will see them stepping out of their comfort zone to the world they haven’t seen change. This is a story that is good at continuing the ideas of needing to find safety, gets split into two main events going on, which always seem to be connected to what is going on. This might bring great tension, but it does feel like we could have a lot more depth into each sequence, a lot of the story does feel rushed and ends up feeling like a squashed down television series, rather than a bigger picture movie. The film does use the silence to cover up the need for any extra dialogue, which is part of the point of the film, but it does seem to take away just how the world building is being constructed.
Themes – A Quiet Place Part II continues to use the world of silence to create a world filled with tension and horrors, because any noise will bring the complete chaos from the creatures, gone has the mystery about the creatures, we look to focus on the human factor, looking at different places for safety. The locations are still used very well to create the atmosphere we are experience through the film, making it a joy to watch from the edge of your seat.
A Quiet Place Part II is a great sequel that takes us on the next chapter of the story for the family in a world they now know nothing about.