How hard is it to recapture lightning in a bottle? Well, as it turns out, not that hard at all. As his next directorial effort following 2018’s “A Quiet Place,” writer/director John Krasinski (“The Office,” “Promised Land”) has successfully managed to duplicate the first film’s tension and action, while also expanding on the world and characters. It might not feel as unique as the first go around, but it's nevertheless engaging.
In a world where monstrous aliens that can only navigate via sound have crash landed on Earth, humans attempt to survive by maintaining as quiet of an existence as possible. “A Quiet Place Part II” picks up almost exactly where the first film ended and, after some brief flashbacks to before the monsters arrived, follows Evelyn, played by Emily Blunt (“Edge of Tomorrow,” “Sicario”), and her two kids Regan, played by Millicent Simmonds (“Wonderstruck,” “A Quiet Place”), and Marcus, played by Noah Jupe (“Ford v. Ferrari,” “Honey Boy”), as the leave their farm and attempt to survive with the help of an old friend from before the monsters, Emmett, played by Cillian Murphy (“Inception,” “Peaky Blinders”).
Even without Krasinski’s presence, the film still has a big heart at its core. So much of the tension comes from the discussions of safety versus risk, how to balance needing to leave safety to either gather supplies or try to better their lives versus the risk of encountering the creatures. Blunt is an absolute powerhouse, showcasing her broad range by, like the rest of the cast, delivering so much with virtually no words.
Jupe and Murphy are also excellent. Jupe perfectly showcases the panicky teenage reactions to the horrors that are happening around him, trying to both protect his family and also trying to survive himself. Murphy is a bit more cynical than the rest of the family, and pairing him with their most optimistic member allows for some great back and forth and testing of his morals that help Murphy to deliver a stronger performance. Yet, just like the first film, it's Simmonds who absolutely steals the show. Whereas before she was the sweet, big hearted, emotional center of the film, “Part II” shows her using her hearing aid and smarts to practically become an action star. Her furrowed brow and determined nature are without a doubt the film’s biggest hook, and it's a delight to watch her steal the show in every scene she’s in.
Just like before, the effects, creature designs, practical sets, they’re all incredible. Its a fantastic showpiece for intimate practical sets, and Krasinski, despite us having seen the creatures from the first film, still hides them as much as possible, using them sparingly instead of throwing tens of them at the screen at once. For those expecting another horror escape though, the film overall feels less like a horror film than the first.
It’s not that it isn’t tense or scary, it just feels far more like an action film this time around. It’s hard to pin-point exactly why this is, but the more varying locations and larger cast probably has something to do with it, as it eliminates the isolated, helpless feeling from the first film’s singular location. The film is nearly flawless in its pacing though, effectively doling out just enough information as it flips back and forth between both plots without ever giving the audience a moment to breathe. Just as you think everything is fine, everything gets far, far worse.
Given the inherently silent nature of everything, it makes sense that the sound mixing and audio design are once again a highlight. It’s an incredibly audio heavy film that makes great use of an expansive auditory range, and that works in tandem with the writing. It's one thing if the film is silent, but if it keeps things so tense that it results in almost forcing you to be silent as well, that’s another thing entirely.
Krasinski does also shake things up with the overall world of the film by introducing a number of new elements that help to flesh things out and make this feel like a true second part to the first film, rather than just a sequel to a successful film. The radio frequencies, the presence of water and fire, and even other people are delivered not just in interesting ways, but piecemeal throughout the film to keep tensions high and audiences on their toes.
This helps greatly in offsetting the fact that the film, as excellent as it is, doesn’t quite have the same specialness that the first one did. Like it or not, once a film becomes a franchise there’s just something about it that feels less different, and the same thing happens here. Krasinski may not be able to recapture the same exact terrifying lightning in a bottle feeling, but he gets about as damn close as possible.
“A Quiet Place Part II” is exactly what its title says it is. As a continuation of the first film, it works wonders in fleshing everything out; the characters, the world, the monsters, the technical film-making skill, to craft a film that is easily worthy of sitting alongside the first. Some may be disappointed that it's less of a horror film this time around, but that’s a small complaint towards what is still a thrilling, tense adventure. 4/5
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