In A Quiet Place Part II, the follow-up to the intense and jumpy A Quiet Place, the survivors of the Abbott family reunite with friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy), sending them on another fight for survival against those sound-hungry creatures.
A Quiet Place Part II was never going to be better than its predecessor, but it comes pretty damn close to being equally as impressive. We are taken on another nail-biting ride, where it’s never certain who’s going to make it out alive. The film is, once again, super jumpy and tense, making for a heart-racing 97 minutes that’ll have you wondering how much more you can take. Again.
Although we are familiar with the film’s conceit, it doesn’t make for any less of an entertaining ride and the opening flashback scene is particularly memorable. Even though some of the film’s great moments were featured in the trailer – all that time ago – they are still exciting to see here. We may know a little more of what to expect this time around, but there are plenty of neat, taut moments that’ll have your palms sweating and your heart-racing.
Emily Blunt is again a force to be reckoned with and Cillian Murphy’s emotionally scarred Emmett is a great addition, but in this story it is the children that are the true heroes. Without spoiling too much, the film shines exploring multiple moments that occur at the same time, so each scene builds to a similarly and usually gripping climax. This ensures the film’s pacing is kept up, leaving only a few moments to catch your breath before some other nightmare is unleashed.
My only negative for this follow-up comes with its lack of wider world-building. Although it does venture into areas unknown, I would have liked to have seen more from the people Emmett describes as not worth saving. Perhaps it would have made the film stray into The Walking Dead territory if we were to bump into cannibals or folks keeping the creatures as pets, but I did hope to see more from survivors who may not have had the best intentions.
This sequel proves that the first was no one-trick pony and does well to showcase what made the first so brilliant, without purely rehashing its events. It feels fresh, yet familiar and I mean that in the best way possible. After all the waiting we’ve done for this film to be released (damn you Covid!), it feels amazing to be back in this post-apocalyptic world that feels depressingly suitable considering the last year we’ve all had. There may be no creatures preying on our noise, but I’m sure we all had a monstrous 2020 and, maybe 2021.
It’s still uncertain if we’ll get a Part III, but I’ll be happy either way. Part II has proven there is plenty of life in this franchise if it is wished to be explored, but it also wraps up nicely if it were all to come to an end. This is another hugely entertaining and mighty scary thrill-ride, so get strapped in because cinema is back!
Director: John Krasinski
Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy
Runtime: 97 minutes
Country: USA
Film Rating: 
