A Quiet Place Part II

 

RATING: B

A Quiet Place "Part I" was quite arguably the best thing to happen to the horror genre in a very long time. Perhaps it helped that it wasn't purely a horror movie (there was some sci-fi/thriller crossover), but it was nothing like the gore-fests or supernatural terror stuff that litters the genre these days, which is why I almost never watch or review anything in this genre. But it also stood out for its simplicity and focusing on the one family and their life/dynamics in a terrifying world where sound equals death. Quite simply, A Quiet Place was an anomaly--in more ways than one, which made it stand out. 

Perhaps that's the first problem with the follow-up--as viewers of the first one will know (and if you haven't watched, then why are you reading the review for the second one?), John Krasinski's paternal character is gone now (though he does appear in an opening flashback). That leaves us with Evelyn, the two teen children, and the newborn. As meaningful as Lee's exit was, having the Abbott family missing one of the parents does take away something from the sequel, especially given how good Krasinski's and Emily Blunt's chemistry as a married couple was (given that they are married in real life). 

Still, it's hard to not be curious about what happens next--especially now that they found a weakness for the aliens. The answer is that it's time to venture out into the world--or what's left of it--and find other survivors. Unfortunately, the problem is that unlike our main characters, it seems that most of who's left has not held onto their humanity as well in the time of crisis. The first person they meet--an old friend from before the apocalypse--says that "the people that are left, they're not worth saving." However, it helps that they are at least now armed with a way to fight back against the aliens--thanks to the deaf Regan and her ear implants, and she seeks to find a way to help more using said method. 

The first movie leaned on the family dynamics to drive itself and the story, not unlike how The Incredibles did it for superhero movies. This one more becomes Regan's movie, as she chooses to go on her own quest to try to do some damage to the aliens. This both is a positive and a negative--while Regan and how she lives with deafness is still one of the more interesting things about these movies (helped by the fact that Millicent Simmonds is deaf in real life), separating her from the rest of the family doesn't feel like the best move--and this certainly does not benefit Evelyn or Marcus, who are basically relegated to "B" plot (and frankly, Marcus does not fare well for most of this one). On the other hand, I can't argue too much with how the main plotline with Regan plays out, which does work out just fine. 

The result of all this is a movie that does not quite hold up to its absurdly unique predecessor, but is still a worthy follow-up that expands the universe--and director Krasinski's knack for subtlety definitely works well in this regard. Also of note is that the movie does not really weaken the monsters beyond the weakness discovered at the end of the first movie, which some monster/alien sequels have made the mistake of doing.  

Besides Simmonds--who is a big part of what carries this movie--Cillian Murphy is the main other actor who stands out here, playing a rugged survivor who becomes entangled with the Abbott family. Given that we scarcely even saw other humans in the first movie, it is intriguing to see the movie's world through the perspective of another character. His performance and character arc is another big part of what makes Part II work.

While Part II might be missing part of what made Part I a standout, it still shouldn't disappoint viewers who are wanting to see what happens next. This one has its own spin that does help distinguish it well enough, even if not so distinctly. Like Part I, this one ends a bit abruptly, leaving one to wonder what direction Part III is going to go in. But as long as Krasinski remains at the director's helm, it's hard to see things going too wrong.