On a modest $17 million budget, A Quiet Place grossed over $340 million worldwide and received universal acclaim from critics. Paramount immediately greenlit a sequel following its success, though John Krasinski was initially hesitant about the prospect. He and writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods considered it more of a “one-off” and weren’t interested in sequels. However, Krasinski started brainstorming ideas after Paramount rejected several more franchise-oriented pitches, and he was allowed to write and direct. The surviving cast from the first film returned, alongside newcomers Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou, who replaced Brian Tyree Henry. With a $61 million budget, the film was shot mostly around Western New York, Hudson Valley, and Upstate New York. The film had its worldwide premiere in March of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release was delayed. Finally, over a year later, A Quiet Place Part II was released to theaters.
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Synopsis
Following the first film, Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and son Marcus (Noah Jupe) head out. With their home destroyed, they venture out searching for any other survivors that have a community they can settle in. Unfortunately, Marcus gets caught in a bear trap, which attracts several creatures and they make a break for it. They run into Lee’s old friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who reluctantly agrees to take them in despite having limited supplies. Marcus picks up a radio signal playing “Beyond the Sea” on loop, giving Regan the idea to find the source. Regan goes off alone to find the source, and Evelyn sends Emmet to find her and bring her back. Meanwhile, Evelyn goes off to find medical supplies while Marcus explores the complex, though he accidentally alerts the creatures. It’s a fight for survival as everyone sets out on their quest.
Review
A Quiet Place Part II is about on par with the original, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it retains everything that made the first film great and expands upon it further. On the other hand, it somewhat feels like a repeat of the first one, not really doing anything different. To be fair, what it does differently is that it has more than one storyline as opposed to just one. You have Regan’s story of searching for survivors, and you have Evelyn’s story of trying to keep the family together. Speaking of, having Millicent Simmonds take centerstage was a good move since she was a standout in the first film. Here, she’s given much more to do and gets to show off just how good of an actress she is. Plus, she and Cillian Murphy make for a good pairing.
Granted, this comes at the expense of giving Emily Blunt less to do, though she still gives a good performance. Honestly, none of the actors are particularly bad, and they each have their moments to shine. Even John Krasinski and Djimon Hounsou shine in their relatively brief appearances, though Honsou’s brief role is somewhat disappointing. Speaking of Krasinski, the opening sequence which takes place before the original gives a nice look at how this happened. While it does go on for a bit longer than expected, it doesn’t overexplain things and keeps the viewer engaged. Like the previous film, Krasinski’s direction is still solid, and he manages to maintain the same level of tension. At slightly over 90 minutes, the film goes by fairly quickly and never feels bogged down by pointless filler. Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is a solidly entertaining companion piece to the original.
Buy tickets to see A Quiet Place Part II only in theaters: https://fandan.co/2RW7yc8
