Review
A Quiet Place Part II (Horror, Sci-Fi) (2020)
Director: John Krasinski
Writer: John Krasinski, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy
When an unidentified object enters the atmosphere, the population retreats to their homes, soon to be rattled by a threat unheard of. A species of extra-terrestrials ravages humankind, and only a few manage to survive and adapt to their new reality—as the hunted.
As the sequel of 2018's "The Quiet Place", John Krasinski once more directs an original narrative initially formed by Beck and Woods. Directly continuing from the events of its predecessor, it increases the cast size and budget by vast amounts. It was filmed in several areas around New York State, including Akron, Olcott, Buffalo and Lackawanna, and regions like Dutchess County used in the first film. Platinum Dunes and Sunday Night Productions have once more produced it, and it has been distributed by Paramount Pictures.
After the events of "A Quiet Place", the remainders of the Abbott family are forced outside of their farmland safehouse. Searching for fellow survivors and more capable of self-defence, they approach a steel foundry where others might be holed up. Discovering more about the monstrous creatures and places where more significant remnants of the population might have fled, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) takes charge and leads the excursion to a nearby marina.
Following the original film's success, "A Quiet Place Part II" provides similar experiences with a much broader scope. Directly set after the events of "A Quiet Place," Krasinski once again manages to capture interest without much dialogue or audio despite focusing more on the dangers of the outside world.
Having become a franchise to build upon, this sequel directly continues the plot from "A Quiet Place", re-explaining in an effective prologue before furthering the narrative. Tension remains at the heart of Krasinski's monster feature yet is somewhat reduced due to more capable survivors and more experience within a hostile world, a natural progression.
Once more, the now "A Quiet Place" franchise shows early success in the prologue, a medium rarely used as successfully anymore. It's a re-introduction to everything already learned in the 2018 film while displaying the never-before-seen origin event, too, which I believe an upcoming spin-off will double in on. Besides all this, there's a bit more world-building focusing on the Abbott family but explaining what happened to everyone apart from them. It introduces a handful of fresh characters and provides more of a leading feature to Simmonds' Regan. Action is more prominent, thus veering in that direction without becoming another Legendary Pictures or "The Tomorrow War" type feature.
The sequel to "A Quiet Place" is a well-made horror movie showcasing the genre's potential. Despite improvements such as adding actors like Cillian Murphy, the film also experienced some declines. While tension is still throughout, it is not as gripping or constant as the original. The Netflix version of the movie also requires subtitles, as some of the dialogue is almost entirely inaudible in regular audio ranges. Additionally, some shortcuts were taken to advance the narrative, particularly in the later parts. Nevertheless, "A Quiet Place" and likely its future iterations will have gain a spot at the top of the list for me as someone not fond of the genre.
Verdict
Quiet no more.
8,5
