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Jun 12, 20216 min read

(SPOILER-FREE) Paramount's A Quiet Place Part II-An Enthralling, Intense, and Great Sequel

Silence is not enough.

A Quiet Place Part II is a 2021 horror film directed by John Krasinski, written by John Krasinski, produced by Platinum Dunes, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards. This is the second film in the Quiet Place franchise. It is preceded by A Quiet Place. A sequel/spin-off, referred to as A Quiet Place Part III, has been confirmed.


"Run." -Evelyn Abbott

Plot


After narrowly surviving the events of A Quiet Place, the Abbott family ventures into the outside world to try and find more survivors. They reunite with an old friend and try to figure out a way to save humanity and finish off the monsters once and for all.




Positive Aspects


The sequel to A Quiet Place essentially expands on the basis of the original film. A Quiet Place is a very small-scale film. The only true characters are the Abbott family, and that is not the case in A Quiet Place Part II. We see the full extent of the destruction that the monsters have caused, and it is horrifying. We travel to different locations in the film, but they all look like the same desolate wastelands. It really puts into perspective how bleak the quiet place really is. All hope has been sucked out of this world, and the set pieces and locations definitely give off that vibe.


John Krasinski has an iron grip over this film. And although that's usually used in negative context, that is not the case here. It's shocking how well actors that are known for comedic roles handle themselves in horror movies: Chris Rock in Spiral, Bill Hader in It: Chapter Two, and now Krasinski in both Quiet Place movies. I know that both Rock and Hader are legitimate comedians, while Krasinski has done other roles besides Jim Halpert, but you see what I mean.


Either way, his direction in this film is honestly award-worthy. The way that he uses camera angles to hide the monsters from the eye of the audience is genius. The emphasis that he has on sound makes the movie feel like such a unique experience. I have not seen the first Quiet Place, so I was truly experiencing all of his direction that I'm sure was present in the first film now.


The use of silence in this film is just unbelievable. The absence of sound in most of these scenes make the atmosphere so utterly intense. There is not a single moment in this film when you are relaxed. Every movement that the characters make could prove to be fatal. Every creak of a drawer could attract one of the monsters. And since the movie is quiet, you are able to hear it every time a sound is made, whether it's a footstep, a swinging traffic light, the crinkling of a bag, or even the quietest breathing. All of it is audible. And since you know that sound can be dangerous in this world, all of those sounds make you nervous.


The silence also makes the jump scares so much better. In a horror movie, there's always scenes with characters walking around in dark places with no sound. Then something jumps out and screams at the character. But in A Quiet Place Part II, every scene is in a dark, quiet location. But there isn't always a jump scare. So it keeps you guessing as to when jump scares will come.


I also loved the way that this film uses tension. Every time the monsters appear, the intensity is cranked up to 100. But then, the script will create other dilemmas or situations that put our characters in trouble...while the monsters are still there. So it piles tension on top of tension on top of tension, which keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie.


The script also makes sure that not all tensions are based around the monsters. They found a way to keep the edge-of-your-seat thrills without the monsters just as intense as they would be if the monsters are there. They also make sure that actions have consequences. Things that happen early on in the film have a lasting effect on the rest of the movie. I always love it when movies make everything have significance, and A Quiet Place Part II definitely does that.


They also make all of these characters very likable. While they aren't extremely developed, you really enjoy their presence and want them to survive the film. They all care about each other to an extreme degree, and when each character has that type of sincere love toward other characters, it makes you love them, too. There's a scene where a certain character almost dies, and as I thought he or she was going to die, I whispered to myself "No.". The last time I did that was when Iron Man died. Every time you think they are going to escape and be okay, you are heartbroken when the monsters show up again. You feel their desperation to get out of this alive, and it just tears you apart every time they get so close to safety only for it to be ruined by the monsters popping up.


Negative Aspects


My first big problem with this movie is what they do with Marcus and Evelyn Abbott. Marcus Abbott (Played by Noah Jupe) is the son and Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) is supposed to be the main character, but they are kind of sidelined in this movie. They send the other two characters, played by Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy, on the main quest of the film, and it feels like Krasinski didn't know what to do with Marcus and Evelyn, so he just let them kind of sit around and fight a couple of monsters, but not really do anything. I wish he would've had a better side quest for them instead of taking a somewhat lazier way out.


The film also ends really abruptly. When the credits began, I said to myself "What? Really?!". You can tell that they wanted another cliffhanger ending to set up Part III, and it did leave me anticipating that film. I wish they would've had a bit more closure or just added a few scenes to feel like the film was complete. Then I would've been a bit more satisfied.


Also, the little dialogue that there is is very vague. While I was at a disadvantage because I had not seen the first one, there are times when they are not referencing A Quiet Place and I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I eventually pieced everything together, but it definitely took me too long to figure out what certain lines meant.


Finally, there's a specific plot element that the characters use to communicate with Regan, the deaf daughter, that I don't think makes sense. They use it throughout the film, and I feel like it lessens the vulnerability of her being deaf. I also think that the specific element they used would not actually work in the real world. This is a bit of a nit-pick, but every time this was used in the film, I got slightly annoyed.


Analogy and Final Score


I've decided to do a new thing in each of my reviews: an analogy. I did one a while back in my Coming 2 America review and was really proud of it, so I've decided to come up with one for each movie review I do. I will not be doing these in TV reviews, though, so keep that in mind.


Let's say A Quiet Place was a nice steak dinner. A Quiet Place Part II is a nice steak dinner with a really good Caesar salad on the side. And everything about that steak is a bit juicier, a bit more tender, and a bit better done. There are a couple of pieces of steak that are juicier and more tender then others, but, overall it's a really nice dinner.


I will give A Quiet Place Part II a Sweet rating. Age range is 12+.


SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)


"A Quiet Place Part II"


Fun Factor: 9.5/10

Acting: 8/10

Characters: 8.5/10

Story: 7.5/10

Quality: 8.5/10


Directed by John Krasinski


Rated PG-13 for bloody violence and action, scary images, disturbing themes


Released on May 28, 2021


1 hour and 37 minutes


Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott

Cillian Murphy as Emmett

Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott

Noah Jupe as Marcus Abbott

John Krasinski as Lee Abbott

Djimon Hounsou as Man on Island


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