A Quiet Place Part II – Film Review

Following the deadly events at home, Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

Back when A Quiet Place was announced over three years ago now, many people were naturally curious as to how it would turn out, despite having one of the most amazing concepts ever conjured up. It followed a family who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where if you make any sort of noise, strange and terrifying creatures will come after you and kill you.

We followed the Abbott family about a year after this global incident happened, causing the world to be overrun by these sharp-eared monsters. Instead of having traditional plates to eat from, they had to eat all of their meals on big leaves or pieces of lettuce. Instead of doing laundry in a machine, they had to do it the old-fashioned way – by hand.

These kinds of things were shown in the trailer for the movie which enticed people, but some were still a bit hesitant. Why? Because it was directed and co-written by John Krasinski, whom people knew mostly because of his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office. Suffice it to say, that show and Krasinski’s character, in general, are goofy.

Some people were not so sure how such a funny man could come up with a pulse-poundingly intense and scary script. But similar to how beloved comedian Jordan Peele proved the naysayers wrong with his 2017 horror-thriller Get Out, which proved to be a massive critical and commercial success, Krasinski also wowed audiences with A Quiet Place. Not only was it an emotional experience getting to follow this typical family as they have to traverse a deadly world as carefully as possible, but it was also one of the most intense movies perhaps ever made.

You wouldn’t think that a ninety-minute movie could be so suspenseful, but it was. It was essentially ninety minutes of holding your breath and wanting that release so bad but Krasinski never giving to you. Or when he did, there was always something else sneaking up on the viewer right around the corner.

But that first film certainly ended on a cliffhanger. After the death of Lee, Evelyn and her two children find out what these monsters are vulnerable to – very, very high-pitched frequencies. A creature wanders its way into the room with the mother and her children. She grabs her shotgun, cocks it, and the film cuts to black.

A Quiet Place Part II is a movie that delivers on every single front imaginable. Not only does this film explore the universe in deep and intriguing ways, but it is one of the best sequels ever made. Furthermore, it’s a significantly better movie than the first one in every way imaginable. A movie, that mind you, I gave an A+ to.

It was clear while watching the opening scene alone that A Quiet Place Part II was going to be one expertly written and directed movie. This opening shows us the very first day this global creature invasion happened and it is ten minutes of extreme terror. It was the perfect way to show us how this entire thing happened and I don’t think any fan of the original movie is going to be let down by the answers that this movie gives.

One of the best new additions to this film is Cillian Murphy as Emmett. His character was shown in the trailers but his role and what it entailed was all kept very hush-hush. Let me tell you though, his character is an absolute delight. Not only was Murphy on his A-game here, but his character was one that was deeply interesting and one that I always wanted to watch on screen.

Of course, Emily Blunt does a phenomenal job in the role of Evelyn Abbott once more. It’s genuinely insane just how easy Blunt makes acting look. She is able to deliver such a riveting and layered performance and make it look like a walk in the park. She radiates such a welcoming vibe from the screen too. Every time she is on screen, you feel this odd sense of comfort. Even though her character is trying her best to survive in such a terrible world, she never feels hopeless or out of ideas.

Even in the most drastic of situations, Evelyn never gives up. At her core, she is a mother that is willing to do absolutely anything to ensure the safety of her children even if it means putting herself in harm’s way. Because of how protecting she is here, Blunt’s performance is equal parts heartwarming and exhilarating.

But one of the most surprisingly good performances here was from Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott. In the first film, she didn’t really get all that much to do but the same thing cannot be said here. She essentially gets a front-and-center role here and I am extremely glad that she did.

She is the definition of a fearless warrior who will do anything to try to find answers as to what caused the outbreak and how to stop these creatures. She is just like her mother in that she will not let anything get in her way no matter how dire the circumstances are. Even when faced with immense danger, Regan persists.

But I honestly cannot understate just how absolutely amazing the writing here is. Krasinski does such a marvelous job at penning this script and expanding the world and characters and crafting nail-bitingly intense sequences that you would swear it was written by a veteran screenwriter who has been writing for thirty years or so. But no. It was all written by Krasinski and I can only hope that he gets a Best Original Screenplay and Best Director nomination at the forthcoming Academy Awards next year.

In addition to that, the editing on display is a thing of beauty. There are so many scenes that are spliced together so smoothly and so cleverly that make it such a delight to behold. As somebody who is fascinated by editing, this movie really made me feel like a kid in a candy store.

Plus Marco Beltrami‘s score accompanied by the absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning cinematography by Polly Morgan stands out as a masterwork in both departments. Beltrami’s musical cues are haunting and goosebump-inducing while Morgan’s camerawork is tight, compacted, and claustrophobic.

At the end of the day, there genuinely was not a single element in A Quiet Place Part II that I did not fall in love with. It’s a masterpiece of the horror genre and is now my favorite movie of the year. Hats off to John Krasinski and the rest of the cast and crew for creating a sequel that defies the odds.