The disjointed family must stay even quieter as they search for survivors, running into old acquaintances and more terrifying aliens.
The sequel to the critically acclaimed A Quiet Place is finally upon us after being delayed what feels like 20 times. The wait did not disappoint though because this John Krasinski film is as good, if not better than its predecessor, and how often can you say that. This sequel is quite different to the first; the characters are now battle-hardened survivors, having had endured a lot of pain and suffering in the first film. Their new goal is to survive long enough to reach fellow survivors and the idea of a haven. A Quiet Place 2 also explores the first days of the alien invasion; beginning at a kids’ softball game which soon descends into absolute chaos, exactly the sort of juicy panic you want to see in a horror film. Emily Blunt is still in charge of protecting her young family, which has seen two major losses and an arrival since their journey began, but to spice it up, a mystery man from their past comes back into their lives – that is where you show up, Mr. Murphy.
Like the first film it relies on jump scares, but they really work, you can’t quite put your finger on when they are coming, keeping us all on our toes. The result, a tense atmosphere that you would struggle to cut with a knife even. The first was tense because it was new and unique, you went into it blind. This film though; you know the premise, you expect the aliens, the stillness, and yet it still pushes you to the edge of your seat – try not to fall off now. The aliens are still a fascinating concept; their design is unique and terrifying. Coupled with the brilliant sound design (which Krasinski wanted to mirror the previous film), it offers up an incredibly eerie film that hits on all its predicted notes. The icing on the cake is the introduction of Emmett (Murphy) he takes over as lead character, and his development and relationship with the others is interesting to watch.
A Quiet Place 2 begins a year before the events of the first film, we follow Lee (Krasinski. It’s good to see him back) as he watches his eldest son at a baseball game, and who is sat near him… Emmett. The town begins to panic as the alien invasion happens right in front of their eyes, with the super slick aliens murdering anyone they can get their pincers on. Now, fast forward to the remaining Abbotts who have moved away from the destroyed farmhouse and have set out to find a beacon that was lit at an old steel factory. There, they come across Emmet – who is now a lone survivor, a much darker character than when we first meet him and quickly wants the family to be on their way, after they brought trouble of the extra-terrestrial kind to his front door. However, after Regan (Millicent Simmonds), the young Abbott girl sets off to find a haven on her own, Emmett must now track her down and bring her back safe.
With Emmett now with Regan – only just, after an awfully close call – they set out on the road to find the haven that was signaling to them on the radio, with Evelyn (Blunt) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) staying behind at the base camp due to an injury to Marcus. Days have now passed, and the unlikely duo – of best friends it now seems – reach a dockyard where they come face to face with a group of nasty feral humans led by… let’s call him, Marina King (Scoot McNairy). These vicious individuals (who are a great addition story wise but were so underused and they had no effect on anything, apart from their own lives) are what stands between Emmett and Regan and the safe island just off the coast. Back at base, Marcus’s injury is getting worse, and he and his mother must deal with an ugly intruder of the superpowered hearing kind. Will they all make it out alive, surviving long enough so they can see each other again? First step first though, be as quiet as possible.
A Quiet Place 2 was equally as good as the first, if not better perhaps. There was a larger expectation on its shoulders as well, due to the success of the former film, and it rose to the challenge mightily. The acting was still powerful, and the plot spiced things up nicely. I enjoyed the fact the narrative focused on the journey and relationship of Emmett and Regan – after a rocky initial meeting – giving it a nice change of pace, leaving the other two as secondary characters who also have their own problems. Shout out to Polly Morgan on camera whose vision and framing offered up some surprise events and a nice atmosphere throughout. I was impressed with the film after initially thinking the worst (how often do we get terrible sequels) and it sets itself up for a third film because that was one hell of a cliff-hanger, so we have that to look forward to as well.
A Quiet Place 2 is available to watch in your local cinema now.
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