A Quiet Place Part II
I remember watching the original film when it came out on opening night in the now (sadly shuttered) City Cinemas Beekman Theatre. The deafening quiet was a real experience for this particular movie-going experience. At the time I thought the first film was pretty good, albeit not something I could really watch again. It felt like a one off encounter, so I was questioning the need for a sequel. Part II does live up to its predecessor and feels very close to the quality of the first film, although the air of familiarity made me wonder if the film was necessary.
The film picks up immediately after the events of the first. Evelyn and her children have discovered that high frequency audio feedback caused by hearing aids causes the monsters to be stunned enough to kill them. The family is in search for others or for an escape from the monsters and they run into a former friend as they pool together to find a way to assist others in defeating the creatures. The film stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and now Cillian Murphy. The film is once again directed by John Krasinski, but this time he has more independent writing credit.
The opening “Day 1” sequence of the film was fantastic. It showed you how things got started, on the day where things started changing for the worse. The rest of the film takes place in present day. The sound design and cinematography is as strong as the first and probably better. I liked the addition of Cillian Murphy who is a strong piece of why this film remains entertaining. I have to say there were times where I felt like I had been here before. The sequel remains close in quality to the first one but for me doesn’t add enough to really warrant its own existence. Technically speaking, its great and is effective in what it does but narrative-wise I’m wondering how much can be churned out when the film fails to really answer questions and remains simple in plot.
If you are a fan of the first fan, you will like the sequel. You can take your pick on which is better because it brings the same level of filmmaking quality. Krasinski is getting better and I’d like to see him branch out and try something in a different field as well. It looks like the film is setting up for more sequels but I’m not as excited for it because I felt a bit of sequel fatigue watching Part II. I can see people having pretty mixed opinions on this.
6.5/10
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