A Quiet Place Part II- Review

A Quiet Place Part II is once again directed by the magnificent John Krasinski and stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou and Krasinski himself and picks up where the first film left off with the Abbott family on the run to hide from the hideous creatures that lurk beyond the sand path. And to heighten the stakes, this time they also find out that these creatures aren’t the only threat to their silent survival.

A Quiet Place was a phenomenon that took us film lovers by surprise back in summer of 2018. It has since become the paradigm of high-concept horror films (films that are easily communicable or their purposes are succinctly stated) and is often used as a standard that many people use to compare horror films. I personally think it’s one of the best horror films ever made, on par with masterpieces like The Shining or Blair Witch Project. Hence to make a sequel to that film, and make sure it lives up to its predecessor, is quiet nerve-wrecking. Well, after watching A Quiet Place Part II, I can confidently conclude that:

If you loved the first film, you will love the second one as well.

A Quiet Place Part II brilliantly lives up to my sky-high expectations, and satiates me as a longtime fan of horror films. Like its predecessor, it’s nothing to extravagant- just a handful of well-written characters who need rush from point A and get something from point B, and come back to their previous location, all the while remaining silent and escaping imminent danger. The simple story allows the horror genre to bloom, and makes the entire runtime worthwhile.

The performances are once again absolutely phenomenal. Emily Blunt returns to deliver one of her best performances of all time, and I was invested in her character because she got a lot of moments to shine. But the character who affected me more emotionally was Millicent Simmonds’ Regan, who was written to perfection and portrayed in a magnificent way so as to make her character memorable. Cillian Murphy, one of my most favorite actors in the modern generation of films and shows, had a substantial role to play in the film, and he nailed it with his remarkable skills.

John Krasinski, however, is the hero in his own production. This film is gorgeously made and staggering to look at. Krasinski introduces the monsters, but is always diligent enough to ensure his characters are the main focus so as to make us care about them. There are beautiful wide shots with characters in the forefront which contributes to the riveting nature of the scenes. The CGI is captivating whenever a monster is shown and you see it up close, and the tension never drains because there isn’t an overabundance of jump scares. Krasinski even utilizes the 35mm frame, which automatically enhances horror films but astonishingly isn’t used very often, and it made me want to go out with a camera and shoot a film myself.

The biggest upside of the film is however the way it utilizes the horror genre. These days we are so overstuffed with horror materials which are so repetitive that going through them is quite a harrowing experience. Some of the horror films use significant chunks of their runtimes to explain cause of the situations, while some overabundantly use jump scares or follow horror movie tropes. Amongst the plethora of horror movie spinoffs or reboots, A Quiet Place Part II delivers something original- an experience that is new to us and intrigues us in the most fascinating ways. It avoids the horror movie cliches and tropes in order to give viewers something original. While horror films these days are more generic, Krasinski’s magnum opus is more inclined to an unconventional narrative, and he succeeds in fulfilling his agenda.

I can only poke my brain to even possibly find a potential flaw in this film. This film is nearly perfect in every way. But after hours of thought, I felt like Blunt’s character is quite often sidestepped by Simmonds’ character at moments of character development, which kind of hindered her character arc from shaping up properly. But that is a very minor fault and doesn’t have an adverse effect on her already meticulously established arc.

All in all, A Quiet Place II is a great film featuring a scintillating cast, brilliant set design and fabulous CGI. I had a blast with this film, and I hope my readers will too.

I’m going to give A Quiet Place Part II an 'A'.