Review:
"A Quiet Place Part II"
Release Date: May 28, 2021
Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 97 minutes There was no peace in silence in A Quiet Place, just the faint possibility of survival. The same holds true in A Quiet Place Part II. Except the surviving members of the Abbott family of director John Krasinski’s pair of sci-fi chillers now know that high-frequency audio feedback can disorientate and leave vulnerable the invading alien creatures that track their human prey through sound. Working from his own cut-to-the-bone screenplay, Krasinski builds the overly familiar sequel to his surprise 2018 hit around the weaponized feedback that gives the Abbott family a fighting chance against Earth’s new apex predator. With A Quiet Place Part II, Krasinski forces the Abbott family to flee their ruined farmland, which at least puts them in a position to share their knowledge about the aliens’ weak point. Krasinski introduces us to Cillian Murphy as family friend Emmett, a broken spirit who emerges as a reluctant hero after hitting the road with Millicent Simmonds’ deaf teenager Regan Abbott. Emmett initially seems like an unlikely choice to fill the void created by the sacrifice made by Krasinski’s Lee Abbott at the end of A Quiet Place. Barely functioning after the recent death of his wife, Emmett prefers to remain alone and hidden in safety, fearful that the real monsters are not the alien creatures but the men and women who now employ desperate measures to make it through each day. A Quiet Place Part II both affirms and counters Emmett’s cynical belief in his fellow survivors, and uses it in an obvious but effective manner to separate Emmett and Regan from Regan’s mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), brother Marcus (Noah Jupe), and infant sibling. To this end, Krasinski tells dueling stories, with Emmett and Regan in search of a safe haven and Evelyn and Marcus left behind to fend off the creatures that stumble upon their temporary new quiet place. Krasinski masterfully cuts back and forth between jarring encounters with alien and/or human foe that occur simultaneously, whether they are fortified with unnerving suspense or executed in furious fashion. He easily carries over the unbearable tension of A Quiet Place to a sequel that is as equally as intimate and hauntingly muted. Cillian Murphy allows Emmett’s debilitating grief and disillusionment to slowly give way to a renewed sense of hope as he accompanies Regan on her journey to a promised land. By then, Murphy fully commits to serving as the unexpected sidekick to the admirably plucky Millicent Simmonds. Meanwhile, Blunt assumes the role of the protective mother with the same tenacity she displayed at the end of A Quiet Place. In contrast, Noah Jupe remains as anxious and easily terrified as Marcus as ever, although Krasinski—being the dutiful onscreen (late) father that he is—gives Jupe an opportunity to rise to the occasion. Krasinski also makes a brief appearance during A Quiet Place Part II’s prologue, which is set on the day the aliens descend upon Earth. Krasinski offers no new revelations about the aliens, so this flashback serves no real purpose beyond establishing Emmett’s pre-invasion connection to the Abbotts. This directly ties into Krasinski’s unwillingness or failure to create a greater mythology for this franchise. He certainly shows hesitancy in moving forward the story of A Quiet Place. He keeps things simple as he shows more of an interest in setting up the events for a possible trilogy closer. This results in A Quiet Place Part II borrowing too heavily from its predecessor for its own good. A Quiet Place Part II does benefit from Krasinski moving the action beyond the boundaries of the Abbotts’ farmland, which provides an invaluable glimpse of how others have endured under dire circumstances. Even then, Krasinski wastes not a second more than he needs to compare and contrast how the haves and the have nots live. His intense focus remains on the Abbotts and how they must continue to suffer in silence family, whether it is together or apart. Robert Sims Aired: May 27, 2021. Web sites: https://www.aquietplacemovie.com https://www.facebook.com/AQuietPlaceMovie/ |
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