A Quiet Place Part II Review

2018’s A Quiet Place was one of the most highly praised mainstream horror films in recent years, which is a remarkable feat considering the current horror renaissance. The sequel had a lot to live up to.

A Quiet Place Part II starts where A Quiet Place left off with Abbotts discovering the monsters’ weakness, but their home is in ruins. The Abbotts leave their home in search of survivors. However, the first survivor they encounter, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), warns them that the few survivors out there are not to be trusted or worth saving.

Making a sequel can be extremely tricky for any filmmaker. Potential pitfalls are sequels being a repeat of the first film, character development from the first film being ignored, or simply have a bigger is better approach. A Quiet Place Part II avoids most of these issues. A Quiet Place Part II budget was triple to the first films, so it could be bigger.

To me Aliens is the template on how to make a sequel. It was a sequel that acted as a continuation, expanded on the universe, and honoured the original. A Quiet Place Part II was close to that standard.

A Quiet Place was a small family drama during a post-apocalyptic scenario, the sequel was a bigger survival horror story. The sequel splits into two stories. The first was about Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Emmett going out in search of a safe haven, whilst Evelyn (Emily Blunt) has to get medical supplies. The film was similar to The Walking Dead. Both franchises are set in post-apocalyptic worlds that are infested with monsters that have sensitive hearing and finding out that some humans can be worse than the monsters.

The comparisons with The Walking Dead can be more specific. In the first act of the film the Abbotts follow the train tracks to a steel mill was similar to the season four arc where The Walking Dead characters go to Terminus. Another season four comparison that can be made is Evelyn having to find some oxygen tanks like The Governor had to do in the episode “Live Bait.” Emmett was a bit like Morgan who suffered losses due to the events and sets up booby traps. Also, like The Walking Dead, A Quiet Place Part II had some inconsistent character aging because Noah Jupe has clearly grown up between the first and second films. It’s just one of those things audiences have to accept.

The central plotline involved characters finding sanctuary is a standard one. Films and shows like Children of Men, 28 Days Later, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Road, and Curfew have used this idea in some form. A Quiet Place Part II does justify the logic leaps the characters make and a difference this film has compared to the aforementioned films is it’s set in a small part of the world. The characters are not trying to travel across half a country.

One of the best features of the first film was the characters. In the previous film the relationship between Regan and her father was one of the main focuses because of Regan’s guilt over her brother’s death. Her father sacrificed himself to save her. In this film Regan takes on her father’s legacy of research, logical reasoning and protecting the family. Simmonds did give a terrific performance. Emmett had a cynical viewpoint and forced to help the Abbotts. Whilst Marcus (Jupe) still needed to find courage.

Director John Krasinski steps up for the bigger scale. Part II had an exciting opening with the monsters attacking the Abbotts’ hometown. There was carnage and chaos as they run rampant and destroyed the picturesque American town. Krasinski also kept his sense of tension like when the Abbotts go into Emmett’s base and during the finale. But the tension was muted slightly since the characters had a way to disarm the monsters which allow them time to kill them.

A Quiet Place Part II was not as fresh and original as the first film, but it was an effective continuation. Krasinski was able to build on the world and characters that were created.