A Quiet Place Part II: A Perfect Sequel

Before I get into an actual review of A Quiet Place Part II, I need to explain the circumstances around how I watched this movie. I went to a 10:30am showing at my local theater. When I got to the auditorium, I was the only one there, which is not the most comforting feeling when you're about to settle in for a horror movie - you kind of want some fellow scaredy-cats screaming with you in the audience, you know? But halfway through the previews, an older woman showed up and paused when she saw the admittedly bizarre sight of me sitting all alone in the middle of the auditorium. She then proceeded to take a seat in the row in front of me, and the two of us indulged in this cinematic spectacle alone but together, two New Yorkers spending Sunday morning the way God intended. It was a beautiful thing. After the movie ended, we ran into each other in the bathroom and I decided to tell her, "I was so glad you showed up, it would have been scary to watch that movie alone." And she smiled and in a German accent went, "Yeah, it was a great movie." And honestly, that's all the review you need. But if you want more, let's get into it. 

First, you might need to refresh your memory with my review of A Quiet Place. Or you could go into the movie cold, because it starts at the very beginning, giving us a flashback that even the original movie never bothered with, showing us how the aliens arrived on Earth and proceeded to wreak havoc. This is a clever bit of storytelling in several ways - it catches people up who never saw the original movie, it re-introduces the Abbotts and their family dynamics, and it newly introduces Cillian Murphy as Emmett, a friend of the family who we never met in A Quiet Place but who will now become a critical element in their goal to save humanity.

Yes, that's where this sequel is going. After the flashback to Day 1, we pick right back up where we left off, with Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her children having just killed a bunch of aliens but with their home completely destroyed. Now they have to make their way to any survivors, which is how they find Emmett. He is a bitter recluse, having lost his entire family at this point, and he isn't too thrilled about having to help the Abbotts. But Regan, the deaf teenage daughter (Millicent Simmonds), who figured out in the last movie that the feedback given out by her hearing aid could incapacitate the aliens, now has a plan to weaponize that on a wider scale via a radio station that seems to be operated by other survivors. She just needs to figure out how to get to them, and Emmett becomes her unwitting companion on that journey while Evelyn stays behind with her newborn baby and injured son Marcus (Noah Jupe).

While Emily Blunt was the star of the first movie, this sequel really allows the kids to shine. Regan is a stalwart heroine, not letting her deafness serve as any kind of impediment to going on an absolutely insane mission to save the world. While Marcus deals with all manner of horrors as he is trapped in a shelter that offers up some crucial protections against making any noises that could grab the aliens' attention, but comes with its own perils. I won't give anything away, but oh man, this movie is brimming with clever details where you just know something awful is going to happen if a character forgets to attend to that one little thing, and yup, it's every bit as terrifying and satisfying as you expect when those details come back to haunt them. 

Sound design is such a critical part of these movies, and I was struck again at how excellently sound is deployed or withheld throughout the film. When we're pivoting to Regan's perspective, everything goes deathly silent to reflect her deafness; my fellow audience member and I were so still in our seats, loath to make any movements lest the aliens come after us. In tense moments, the skillful score by Marco Beltrami propels you to the edge of your seat and sets you up for the next jump scare. (Speaking of jump scares, this movie is BRIMMING with them, and honestly, if you have a pacemaker or any kind of heart condition, stay away. This movie is NOT for you.) And in the in-between moments, when we're just watching these characters walk through the woods or nervously scour a pharmacy, you will be aware of every crackling leaf and every footstep. This is why you should watch this movie in the theater - I know it's hard to understand why it's important when so much of this movie is completely silent, but that's the point. If you're watching at home, you'll be distracted by other noises, but in a movie theater, when the Dolby sound just shuts down on you and you have to hear the sound of your own breathing? That's some nerve-wracking shit.

Written and directed by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II is a spectacular sequel. The script is so clever, offering up little tidbits that then become hugely important plot points to drive the narrative forward and save the day. These actors know these characters like the back of their hands now and offer up some tense and wondrous performances that will make you cheer. And I have to give a special shout-out to the ending. Many writer-directors have a tendency to get so caught up in their world that they then have to milk the ending for all it's worth, giving us all manner of epilogues and assurances. But Krasinski knows how to end his movie on a high - the important work is done, we don't need to see the rest. To be clear, if he writes A Quiet Place Part III, I will go see it ASAP. But if he doesn't, I'm perfectly content with how he chose to wrap up this amazing story.