Director: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmons, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe
Year: 2020
I think we can all agree that Part II isn’t nearly as good as A Quiet Place; isn’t filled with quite the same intensity, isn’t crafted with quite the same quality. But as sequels go, this one isn’t half bad, and follows the trailblazing first installment into pitched battle against, not only aliens, but our preconceptions as well. We have an idea what horror should be, A Quiet Place changed that, which was both surprising and awesome, and now we’re ready for more with the sequel. And while it isn’t quite as strong or as compelling, because of course it isn’t, what it does have to offer is still a lot, and gives us a ton to enjoy. I guess I hope they don’t make a Part III, because that’s just overdoing it, but, hey, worse things could happen.
Immediately following the events of Part I, the Abbott family abandon their destroyed home and attempts to reach other survivors, now armed with the knowledge of how to kill the monsters, information that could save the human race. But first they’ll have to survive the forest, find other people, and figure out a way to broadcast the sound that drives the aliens insane. Coming across an old friend will help, but only if he’ll agree to their plans; his grief is too strong, his belief in humanity too low, and his ability to step outside too weak. So Regan must take the fate of the world into her own hands, leaving her family behind, facing her fears on the road to discovery, and without much hope of success.
The film starts with a flashback to the day whatever happened happened and the world changed, which I thought was very cool. It was nice to see Lee, sad to see the little boy, I liked that we got more of the beginning, although nothing in the way of explanation, and that set the tone of the movie nicely. Then the family, moving from their home, chancing the woods, armed with their knowledge; all that was fine, I liked that plot foundation. But the rest of the film, the action, the dialogue, the plot in general, was simply underwhelming. Very little happens, the group splits up, some scenes are repetitive, Noah Jupe’s character is supremely annoying, and it’s kind of hard to enjoy the film as a whole because there’s nothing special going on at any given moment, just scenes that are absolutely fine in an totally forgettable movie. We needed more, we needed to go deeper, not just stay on the same plain with the same people having the same problems; why watch? It could have better, it could have been much, much worse, and, while I think I want this to be the end, I’m sure I would watch one last piece to the puzzle, if they ever decided to finish the project for good.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆