- Director: John Krasinski
- Writer: John Krasinski
- Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe
Review
Did A Quiet Place need a Part 2? Well, not really but how does it stack up?
Starting with a ‘Day 1’ prologue, we get taken back to the first minutes of the invasion, it is a thrilling and flat out exciting opening, then we get a great transition to the end of the first film and part two starts from here (Day 474). Evelyn (Blunt), Reagan (Simmonds) and Marcus (Jupe) and the baby take off from their previous stronghold and make their way to find another place to live and be relatively protected. Coming across a thought to be abandoned industrial complex, the family are rescued by Emmett (Murphy) a man that was from their home town and who was friends with their father. Reagan and Marcus discover a radio signal, Reagan sneaks out to discover the source. The crew is split up from here with Emmett trying to find Reagan whilst Evelyn seeks to protect Noah and her new baby.
The sound design evident in the first film, has thankfully stayed intact and the film uses it well. The layers of sound from no sound, muffled sound through to ear splitting are used perfectly when the tension rises. The tense scenes are directed well by Krasinski, whether it be a stealthy walk or all out action.
Blunt is as Blunt always is, thoroughly watchable and she effortlessly slides back into the character of Evelyn. Millicent Simmonds is once again great, determined but kind and she balances that really well. Cillian Murphy always aims up in films and this one is no different, playing a little against type, as a broken man that is just trying to survive in a new world order.
The story and writing however I felt was a bit of a letdown. The film jumped from action set piece to action set piece and there was no real arc for any character. We’re told that the people left aren’t worth saving yet we only meet one group of these people and they don’t seem all that threatening and then another group of people they meet are the opposite, perhaps it was Emmett’s world view that the best course of action was to stay home, so his view point was slanted or maybe he’d seen some shit but the problem is that it is a Schrodinger’s cat situation, that box is never opened so, we never know. Emmett’s character was clearly begging for a redemption arc and the beginnings of it were there but it wasn’t really followed through or perhaps more accurately it wasn’t made totally clear just what happened to him and his family beyond the obvious of course.
A Quiet Place II was much less quiet than its predecessor and it lacks a bit of the first films subtlety but having said that AQP2 carries the weight of expectation and more often than not, meets them.
A Quiet Place Part II is at cinemas May 27 (Australia), May 28 (USA), June 3 (UK).
Ryan Morrissey-Smith | Twitter: @TigersMS78
haddonfieldhorror.com 
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