Movie Review: A Quiet Place Part II (PG13 – 97 minutes)

 

I had never seen the original A Quiet Place from two years ago, so I rented it on Amazon Prime prior to heading to the theater to see A Quiet Place Part II.  It was exceptional, certainly scary, but a family drama at its heart. 

I think it pays to watch the first one almost immediately before seeing the second one as the story picks up right after the events of the prior movie.  First, there is essentially a cold open replaying “Day 1” as like part 1, the movie gives you titles cards to let you know which day of the situation you are in.  The flashback to the beginning shows the Abbott family at a baseball game as father Lee goes to pick up oranges and water for the post-game treats.  The sequence has several purposes: it shows how close-knit the town is – everyone seems to know everyone else; it introduces us to Emmett, another local father with a kid on the team; it shows how Regan is teaching everyone around a bit of signing; provides a quick shot of the space shuttle toy on the shelf of the store the Abbotts will later visit for supplies; and most importantly, shows the initial appearance of the creatures as an object seems to be landing near the town from space.  

After that sequence, the movie picks up immediately after the events of the previous film, Evelyn and her three remaining children, Regan, Marcus, and the baby she just had, are in the basement having discovered that Regan’s hearing aid provides a distressing feedback signal to the creatures that causes them to pop open their face shields long enough for you to get in a killing blow.  Having killed one, but also set the barn on fire and flooded the basement (thank goodness, those stairs were not safe), they set out to find help.  Collecting the map that Lee had been using to mark the other bonfires he saw at night, they head toward one.  Marcus accidentally steps in a bear trap, screams in pain, and Regan and Evelyn use the hearing-aid-feedback trick to kill an approaching creature. Of course, the gunshot brings more, but Emmett rescues them and brings them into his shelter.

He reveals that he has lost everyone and has been alone since his wife got sick and died.  Catching a broadcast on the radio of “Beyond the Sea”, Regan realizes she can head to the island where the station is broadcasting from and send out the feedback to more people.  Being a teenage girl, she sets out on her own, and Evelyn begs Emmett to go after her.  Together, they struggle to get to the island while Evelyn and Marcus struggle to recover from his injury and keep a newborn quiet.

What is most impressive about these movies is that the story is so simple but the movies are so compelling.  Krasinski has been very open that he treats them as family dramas first, and the horror element is nearly an afterthought. Because of that focus, it is incredibly easy to get sucked into the story and the characters.

Emily Blunt is fantastic again as Evelyn, having perfected the patented Gillian Anderson wide-eyed panic-fear stare.   Since Krasinski (spoiler alert) sacrificed himself in the first movie to save the kids, he only appears in the flashback sequence in this one, which does deprive the movie of their incredible chemistry, but Blunt carries all her scenes on her own. 

While watching the two parts back to back is great for story, it is a little weird to see the two kids who clearly are two years bigger in this one.  As with part one, the true star of this movie is Millicent Simmonds as Regan, with Noah Jupe as a strong second as Marcus.  They each overcome various obstacles, emotional and physical, to take action to try to save not just their family but everyone around them.

Cillian Murphy plays Emmett, and while always a bit creepy, here he is truly haunted.  He at first wants to kick out Evelyn and the kids, having basically given up. Eventually Regan convinces him to think about someone else and help her out.  Things get a bit dicey when they run into Scoot McNairy and a group of, I guess you could call them boat folks?  Eventually he helps her reach Djimon Hounsou who has been broadcasting the signal from the island.

Overall, the movie is nearly as good as the first, certainly scary, but more thriller than pure horror.  There is not a ton of gore, but plenty of jumpscares.  The core of the film is the family and their relationship.  I will say I took advantage of the website DoesTheDogDie.com prior to seeing it, just to ensure I was prepared for whatever might be included. I will say, I have some additional questions – these movies never really address what exactly these creatures are all about, why they are here, or what their purpose is.  In the first movie, you only spend time with the family, so that is not a surprise. Here, because it begins with the flashback to day 1, I thought perhaps they might dig a little deeper into it. You find out they are aliens, but aside from that, no real knowledge. They do not seem to eat anything they kill, so I have to assume they are just murder machines that hate noise?  The planet they came from must have been crazy loud and these guys are just refugees looking for some peace and quiet at any cost.

8 of 10 – Bonus points for the tight run time. I definitely recommend watching them back to back if you have the option.