John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have done what Christopher Nolan couldn’t: movies are back! (With some assistance from vaccines, fatigue, and time in general…) It may just be pandemic brain, but I don’t remember seeing movie theaters this packed since the record-breaking release of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. There couldn’t be a more fitting movie to reintroduce audiences to the too-often-ignored etiquette of cinema-going than the hotly-anticipated sequel, A Quiet Place Part II.
If you’re unfamiliar with the general premise of this film series, humanity has been forced into a post-apocalyptic world by mysterious creatures who hunt entirely by sound. We follow the Abbott family (played by real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) and their young family as they navigate a world where the slightest sound could mean death. The first film, directed by Krasinski and released in 2018, was an immediate hit with critics and audiences. Part II, also directed by Krasinski, was quickly put into production for a May 2020 release until it became one of the first casualties of an actual global pandemic.
As with the first installment, the film succeeds best with its technical achievements and the talents of its small cast. The use of sound is again the MVP. Thanks to its premise, the majority of the movie demands near-total silence from the audience, milking tension and scares out of the most mundane noises. We spend much of the film with the Abbotts’ young deaf daughter, Regan (played by Millicent Simmonds, who is deaf in real life). Using Regan as a point-of-view character adds heightened stakes to every sequence. We’re sometimes dropped entirely into her point of view, with the sound completely removed, and feel her particular disorienting terror. Along with the sound mixing, the editing is another unsung hero. From its gripping opening scene, the story moves at a clip, heightening the anxiety that danger is all around you. At one point, the editing ties together multiple story threads, cross-cutting between three suspenseful sequences without losing any of the tension or momentum across storylines. Despite losing the luster of newness, Part II still makes great use of its sound limitations to deliver effective scares, near escapes, and gasps from the audience.
What keeps the film from being a throwaway thriller with a fun concept (looking at you, Birdbox) is the cast. The emotional turmoil of the Abbott family as they struggle to keep each other safe keeps us squarely invested in the characters. The talent of the entire cast elevates every scene. They feel like real people, which is needed to keep the fantastical premise grounded. The Abbott children (Simmonds and Noah Jupe) are given more prominent roles and thrust more directly into the danger. Simmonds and Jupe are wonderful to watch, displaying a range of extreme emotions without ever feeling forced or over-acted. Their exhaustion, resolve, and raw terror is honest and believable—an essential element to keeping audiences desperately caring about their characters through every nail-biting sequence.
The movie does fumble on naturally expanding the scope of the narrative. The first film was mostly contained to the Abbotts’ farm and property, and Part II teased the opportunity of exploring the fallen world around it. It does venture out, but not far enough. We catch glimpses of how other pockets of society are enduring this particular apocalyptic nightmare, but the film rushes through it. One startling sequence in particular with a batch of survivors left me wanting more. Another gripe, and a common complaint of genre films, is characters leading themselves into avoidable danger. Some characters make confounding decisions or needlessly withhold information in order to further the plot. Fortunately, the characters themselves are so watchable and the story moves at such a pace that bizarre character decisions don’t distract too much from the tension or drama.
Part II is a worthy continuation of the beloved original. Yes, the novelty of the premise has worn off a bit, but the film still delivers inventive thrills and armrest-gripping sequences, buoyed by its stellar cast and immersive sound experience. Just remember to regulate your popcorn chomping if you want to avoid (justified) glares from everyone else on Row H.
A Quiet Place Part II is currently in theaters. It runs 97 minutes and is rated PG-13 for terror, violence and bloody/disturbing images.
