A QUIET PLACE PART TWO (2021) – A methodical sequel that is still fun although lacking in fresh ideas

When A Quiet Place first came out in 2018, it was like a breathe of fresh air. The novelty of trying to survive an alien apocalyptic world by keeping as quiet as possible to avoid being eaten by hearing sensitive aliens offered something new to the horror genre. Emily Blunt and her real life husband Krasinski join forces to create a memorable thriller that assault the viewer with many tense moments in the quest to survive. The film offered a grim but hopeful open ending.

A Quiet Place Part II, takes off almost immediately where the last film ended. But not before offering an extended flash back sequence on Day One when the aliens first made their deadly presence known. This opening gambit was exciting and did a good job in introducing a new character that will surface later on, as well as offered an interesting glimpse of how it all began. When the plot of Part II takes over, it was more business as usual. With a new born baby in tow, the stakes are upped this time, and we are thrown into many more perilous situations. However, one cannot help feeling that the storyline did not progress much in this sequel. Much of the setting and hostile environment that the family face this time reminded me of the kind of world and situation of a zombies apocalypse as portrayed in far more greater details in the AMC TV series The Walking Dead. Indeed, for me, watching A Quiet Place Part II almost felt like I was watching an episode off The Walking Dead!

Fortunately what lifts this above any TV show is in the quality of its production. This is a very well made movie from the excellent performances, to the clever use of sound (or lack of it) to provide the atmosphere, and the efficient special effects. I also liked that the film makers were bold enough to let much of the film’s heart and soul rest on the shoulders of its two fine young actors Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as the kids. MIllicent was totally convincing as the deaf daughter and showed an impressive range of emotions without the need for dialogue. Noah had a less demanding role but he nevertheless still manages to make his presence felt with some strong moments.

Once again John Krasinski takes on the helm as director and writer with an understandably smaller presence on screen for his character this time. Kudos to him for being able to maintain the interest at a high level a second time around. My main problem is that the story line this time was not as meaty and as I said, many of the ideas did not feel as original as the first movie. The good news is that you will probably still enjoy this. The bad news is that it isn’t as good as the first.