A Quiet Place: Part II is a 2020 horror movie that was released during the pandemic. It’s a sequel to the John Krasinki and Emily Blunt starring A Quiet Place. Much like the first movie, John Krasinski is in the director’s chair, as well as writing it.
It stars Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Djimon Honsou.
A Quiet Place Part II revolves around the same family as before except they no longer have Lee (Krasinski). As the story progresses they meet another survivor, Emmett (Murphy). A flashback at the beginning of the movie shows us he’s a family friend.
Not only does this show the audience who he is without long-winded exposition, but it also means seeing John Krasinski on screen for about ten minutes.
While it’s an ensemble movie, the story focuses on Regan (Simmonds) as she takes on the protector role with her father gone. Her quick thinking and strong head in danger is the antithesis of her brother (Jupe).
A Quiet Place II is one of those rare horror sequels that live up to its predecessor. It’s scary and suspenseful but it also has heart. It’s that heart that connects the audience to the characters. Introducing a new character in an established universe is tricky.
Yet, Emmett works. He isn’t a stranger to the family, and he has an arc of his own. Moreover, he shares the spotlight and proves to be a welcome addition. Of course, it goes without saying Cillian Murphy is a welcome addition in everything.
While everything deserves praise for their acting, it’s Millicent Simmonds who steals it.
When it comes to horror, an actor’s face telling the story more than their words is key. This is how the audience knows to fear for the character. As a deaf actress playing a deaf character most of her actions are done through facial expressions and sign language.
Through the 97 minutes runtime, she’s always giving her best performance. Every face she pulls tells a story in itself, and that’s no easy feat. Some adult actors can’t even do it. She’s definitely a rising star.
My only two gripes about the movie aren’t major. There’s an actor I was looking forward to seeing but he was, unfortunately, didn’t get the time to do much. My other issue was with the ending.
It isn’t a bad ending. Everything is there to make it an ending. However, its abruptness was jarring. Maybe it’s something they’re leaving for a future instalment. After all, each movie feels like the next part of the same story.
If the films are episodic in an overarching story, I’ll have no issue with that. It makes sense for the world they’re in.
A Quiet Place Part II expertly blends fear and heart similar to the first but raises the stakes with a wider world.
