Horror sequels can often be extremely difficult to make given that they face an incredibly daunting task of having to make lightning strike twice in terms of replicating the success of their predecessors. Besides a few exceptions where horror sequels come close to achieving such a feat with examples like Scream 2, Conjuring 2, and Halloween 2018 for example, most sequels to well-established horror movies end up paling in comparison both financially and critically. With A Quiet Place Part ll, director John Krasinski aims to buck the trend and produce a high quality sequel, that lives up to the standard set by its predecessor. Released in 2018, the original A Quiet Place was a surprise critical and box office hit that's rarely seen before in the horror genre. It wasn't long after the first film premiered that a sequel would be greenlit with Krasinski once again helming the story despite being initially reluctant to do so. Originally scheduled to be released in March 2020, the film experienced numerous delays due to the emergence of Covid-19 with the film finally landing in theaters a just over a year later. With both Emily Blunt and John Krasinski returning to the sequel along with Cillian Murphy being the newest addition to the cast, the story for A Quiet Place Part ll picks up where the first film ended and effectively continues the mystery, suspense, and terror that was masterfully established by its predecessor. For all its efforts, the sequel does a damn fine job of extending the storyline of the original without it losing much of that films scares or heart. The end result is a tense nerve-wracking experience which stands as being one of the rare horror sequels, that effectively expands on the terrifying world introduced by its predecessor three years prior.
Continuing from where the first film left off, the plot for A Quiet Place Part ll focuses on the surviving members of the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe) with them continuing to search for other survivors in an alien-ridden world. Along with looking for the weapon that will finally destroy them, they attempt to avoid making any sound that will attract the predatory creatures. What the plot for A Quiet Place Part ll does a stellar job at is connecting both films stories together with them being one long and terrifying survival story set in a post-apocalyptic future that's devoid of sound. One of the key elements that made the first Quiet Place work so well, was the level of creativity that went into making its plot. Although the concept of aliens trying to take over the world has been recycled numerous times, the way that Krasinski writes and films the story feel like a welcomed breath of fresh air for audiences. It was the surprise element of the plot, as well as the fear of the unknown that made it work as effectively as it ultimately ended up being. With the sequel, Krasinski attempts to bring back much of the feeling of suspense that audiences had in not knowing what comes next and although he doesn't fully achieve the same type of effect given that audiences now have seen the creatures, it comes extraordinarily close. A Quiet Place Part ll is a sequel that carefully tries to share the same platform as the first, while not abandoning any the essential ingredients that made the series a hit with horror fans. Of these elements, the most important one that makes the sequel work is that it has a tremendous amount of heart with one still finding themselves caring for the characters on screen. Unlike most horror sequels, A Quiet Place Part ll is a rare exception in which it walks a familiar beat to the first with it feeling like a necessary expansion of the story, that makes sense rather than being a pointless retread. Although it doesn't top the first film, the sequel comes very close and relies on carefully staged thrills to make up for the lack of mystery surrounding the creatures now that their true origins have been revealed.
As far as acting goes, the performances in A Quiet Place Part ll once again are phenomenal with both Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy delivering intense work here while showcasing the appropriate amounts of emotion their roles call for. One of the key things that made the first Quiet Place so effective, was the believability of the scenario being presented with the casts performances being undeniably convincing. The same is said here with Emily giving a strong presence with reprising her role as Evelyn Abbot, widow of Lee (John Karasinski) whose determined to find a new role for her children. Blunt flawlessly conveys her characters fears and emotions on screen with her attempting to stay strong for her children, though is fearful of their safety along with grieving over the loss of her husband from the events of the first film. Although audiences naturally find themselves missing John Krasinski's character throughout the film despite his clever yet brief inclusion in the story, Cillian Murphy proves to be a worthy replacement in the male lead as Lee's old friend Emmet, who is now a hardened, reclusive survivor after witnessing both his wife and children killed by aliens. Murphy brilliantly conveys with his characters performance the mistrust, paranoia, pain, and loss of hope that he ultimately experiences until he is presented with hope again through the character of Regan. Millicent Simmond's continues to impress as Evelyn's deaf daughter Regan with her character receiving a more significant role this time. Simmond's conveys her character being forced to become more of an adult in comparison to the first film in a form, that feels natural as well as believable. Noah Jupe also continues to do well with playing Evelyn's son Marcus with John Krasinski's brief appearance in the film via flashback being a welcomed one. The rest of the supporting cast turn in notably effective performances with Djimon Hounsou being effective as the leader of small island colony of survivors. Overall, the acting in A Quiet Place Part ll is stellar and goes a long way with enhancing the realism of the story as well as allowing it to hit home. The cast does a great job of making people become connected with the story and characters in both films.
Returning to the directors chair once again, Krasinski does so with him bringing his A game to the sequel. He maintains the same atmosphere and tone that the previous film carried, while expanding on the scope of the story. One of the films most thrilling sequences is its opening flashback showing how the events of the first Quiet Place started with the scene itself having a masterful buildup of suspense, along with it being well-executed. Krasinski keeps the film fast-paced with a brisk running time of 97 minutes. The film is shot with stunning cinematography, which gives the story a Steven Spielberg feel to it that draws comparisons to War Of The Worlds. The lighting makes use of the colors surrounding the actors, particularly in scenes involving the use of firelight, candlelight, moonlight, and the ambient night. The films visual and sound effects serve as being key technical elements in the story, which work exceptionally well with the aliens carrying a terrifying presence that looks real with sound effects greatly enhancing the stories terror. The music by Marco Beltrami proves effective in enhancing the emotional core of the story along with driving up its tension. Beltrami repeats some of the originals key themes which emphasize the family aspect of the story with it working terrifically. With A Quiet Place Part ll, Krasinski expands the scope while keeping the story a personal arc focused on one families struggle to survive. He doesn't lose sight of the key elements that made the first film work so effectively, and succeeds in taking things up a notch in terms of both scares and suspense. Despite the sequel losing some of the suspense regarding the mystery of what happened to the world in the first Quiet Place, it does a smart job of compensating for the lack of surprise with adding more jump scares and sequences that are effectively terrifying.
In addition to the films masterful directing, the writing by Krasinski is strong with the story remaining on point in terms of connecting with the original. The sequel continues many of the themes introduced in the first film such as family, determination, the need for necessities, responsibility, protection, sacrifice, survival, courage, and taking risks with characters such as Regan and Marcus receiving significantly larger roles this time with Evelyn becoming a more stronger force in her efforts to protect her family. The script wonderfully taps into her characters fear of her children's safety, while also showing the pain and grief that Evelyn feels towards losing her husband at the end of the first film. Regan's character's transformation from vulnerable child to an adult leading the way in her families situation, is a fitting arc for her that wonderfully bridges both movies together. The inclusion of Cillian Murphy's character in the story with him replacing Krasinski as the films central male character is cleverly incorporated into the story in a way which doesn't feel forced, but is naturally weaved into the story. The smartest decision that the writers made with his character is giving him his own backstory that allows audiences to become invested with him, along with his character shown to be connected with Evelyn's family prior to the events of the first film. The most interesting angle that Krasinski takes with his character arc is not presenting him as being a generic love interest to Evelyn, but showing him to be his own person as well as a friend of the family, who experienced his own form of loss during the alien invasion with him losing all hope in humanity before gaining some of it back through his ordeal with Regan. Though audiences may still find themselves missing Krasinski's presence in the film, they'll come to find that Emmet is a solid substitute whose presented with more substance than just being a throwaway character. Each character is fleshed out and has their own personal arc that plays out over the course of the film. The films action and scare set-pieces are carefully placed throughout the story to steadily build up the intensity of the characters situation. The script for A Quiet Place Part ll does a fantastic job of feeling like a true continuation of the story with it expanding on the themes introduced in the first film. With the follow-up, Krasinski takes both the world and characters already established and advances them while further widening the scope of the story along with pumping up the volume with the stories action.
Given that most horror sequels end up falling significantly short of their predecessors in terms of quality with only a handful being reasonably decent, the feat that both Krasinski and the filmmakers manage to pull off here is one that should be celebrated. The sequel never manages to be better than the first, but it comes awfully close in doing so. Although the mystery behind the creature-ridden world is gone, the stakes that the main characters face as well as the stories drama remain just as high. A Quiet Place Part ll might've lost some of the quiet suspense of the first movie, but it more than compensates with its stacking of thrills. Considering how much of a decline the follow-up could've experienced in regards to overall quality, fans of the first Quiet Place should appreciate the surprising level of quality that the sequel presents itself as having. One sincerely hopes that the same amount of energy, dedication, and devotion that the creative behind the second film delivered goes into making a fitting conclusion to what's already become a game-changing horror franchise.
Final Verdict: For horror fans and those who enjoyed the previous film, A Quiet Place Part ll is a must watch. SEE IT
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Images Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
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