I still cannot fathom that John Krasinski made 2018 moviegoers sit in utter silence. His terror-evoking film “A Quiet Place", co-written with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, shattered box office records. Moviegoers were meticulously taught to maintain silence which steered them into theaters filled with quiet spectators. No film enthusiast would want to go through that agony again if there was a sequel. But the changes he made in the follow-up to this film feel particularly peculiar: it is bigger, faster, louder, and more characteristic of a horror blockbuster. Part II” has approximately thrice the amount of dialogue as its predecessor and resorts to a more straightforward brand of horror. If you found it harder to bear the crab/spider's hating silence, A Quiet Place Part II is the right choice for you.
Through the sequel, Krasinski has established the fact that he is an intelligent man with evident Hollywood norms perceived to be subversive. At the same time, he solidifies his reputation for building masterful tension with life-or-death circumstances, knowing exactly when to shift gears.
Sometimes, “A Quiet Place Part II” reminds me of Spielberg’s idea of fun on “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, where he let loose his beasts to cause havoc in a new setting spectacularly. I too wished for a part three as soon as the movie ended, despite this sequel still falling short when compared to the original.
This film begins “Part II” with an exceptionally cruel replay, going back to day one of all this. In my opinion, it is a classic case of “We know what is going to happen next.” Unlike the audience, the characters have no idea and this plays marvelously at a Little League baseball game. The sheer useless chaos of sound transforms this into an ultra-tension filled nerve wrecking scene and the alien invasion only adds to the chaos. The game reaches its climax when someone blows up a gigantic bomb in the sky and everyone heads home post the match. A considerable portion of the public is devoid of any protection against the aliens and this due to the acute lack of artificial structures around the city that suddenly appears to explode with With Lee Abbott(Krasinski) going into hiding with Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Evelyn Blunt frantically driving with her two children.
Krasinski's victories in the first film receive an adrenaline-fueled celebration in “A Quiet Place Part II,” which recalibrates our terror of sound with blinding violence through long takes that shift POVs to different characters coping with utter pandemonium. This film-marketing slogan moment is A Quiet Place II unceremoniously announcing that it has shifted to a different and far more dull game, even if the action is undeniably impressive.
“Part II” seamlessly continues from where “Part I” left off, just an instant after Evelyn forcefully cocked a shotgun. It’s time to leave home with the barn on fire and patrician Lee dead in the fields. Evelyn traveling with her daughter Regan and son Marcus (portrayed by Noah Jupe) goes off the sandy path laid by Lee, past the youngest son’s gravestone from the first film. Regan is holding her cochlear implant, which she meant to use after the first part’s feedback clearly incapacitated her monsters. Her hunt for more people drives them towards the signal and the uncertainty of civilization.
Focuses on the family sacrifice on the first part, while the second part deals with what one is willing to give up to help other individuals. The series’ freshest addition, Cillian Murphy as Emmett, the Bleary, a family friend from the ball game, showcases this conflict when he decides not to aid the Abbotts into stepping into the abandoned factory he seems to have dominion over.
Emmett is very defiant at the start due to his own personal loss and dwindling food supplies. In addition, he gives Evelyn a warning about looking for other people, stating that they are “people who aren’t worth saving.” I find Emmett's character bitterness quite fascinating and complex, up until the film’s emotional climax is reduced to Emmett learning to not stray from the path of all-American hero Lee. This is not the only instance of cheesy thinking that Krasinski took way too seriously. But within all the movie’s contempt towards other humans, it does ramp up quite a bit of tension later on with people who are less altruistic than the Abbotts. It’s unsettling when a group of people stares at you in silence because that’s a scary situation to be in.
It’s well known that he doesn’t take many artistic risks, and as Emmett’s characters step into new territory, it’s well crafted Krasinski who boldly takes daring artistic stylization. His leadership style is decisively risk-averse; he’s comfortable working with multiple threads simultaneously, casting every single character from the baby, and endangering them all, to make them feel out of their depth, and he does it them all at once. Anytime he tries something radically different, like putting Regan center stage, alone with a spotlight and a shotgun, he always takes the back door for what is a much softer option less radical route.
In other examples, he may just wait for an easy shock where a corpse unexpectedly comes up on screen and adds to the already big frightening volume the movie has. This appeal is changed in part II as pieces of dialogue are added that, although could be termed as ‘conversational’, are neither smooth nor soft; these replace emotions like sign language did in the original.
Even if the story does not afford much breathing space, the performances do remain intensely engaging. Blunt remains more on the straightforward side given that she was already established a bad-ass in the first movie, with Blunt still under significant physical strain and the instinctual maternal need to defend. Jupe and Simmonds demonstrate mastery when it comes to crying. Both truly scream terror, but they also display a tenderness to this tale accompanied with hints of hope. And as always, Krasinski does well with casting faces of interest for their intensity. Murphy may show a certain weariness in different lights, and here he looks beat, but mysterious and human. Unique presences are also added by Djimon Hounsou and Scoot McNairy, but that is about all that can be said.
The monsters themself move faster than Michael P. Shawver’s editing, and that is saying something.
But the story has no affection for them—they are like a supporting actor who, for whatever reason, is in the sight of the cameras but wasn’t invited to the wrap party. The picture of them is nearly exquisite thanks to ILM's artistry, but aside from their literally falling from the sky, they are not developed further by Krasinski. The focus this story gives on them is revealing on how weakly conceived they are. Interesting is the fact that Krasinski wishes to explore going against explainers’ fan culture – good luck with this one, Youtube – but to me, the lack of background simply indicates that he doesn’t have enough to say about his monsters. Here they become tired and formulaic, mindlessly aggressive dull villains who mute human beings with a chop or a throw, and, so what, that’s it. The further we get into these two movies, the more the mystery teases that there’s nothing to it.
The most shocking moments of “A Quiet Place,” the emotional rollercoaster for lack of better phrase, combine concepts that have already been explored. The rhythm of numbing maximum slams, bangs, and bass warbles is joined by the film’s max volume, and that's a tired sentiment. It's Marc Beltrami who brings in the original's meditative themes, but only between attempts to blast one into the back of the theater.
Though the battles between humans and monsters are complicated, intense, and frantic, they are amazing at immersing the viewer into the dread present in the story. As he demonstrates when beloved characters are screaming for their lives, along with cinematographer Polly Morgan and editor Shawver, he spikes their deaths with multiple in-your-face and intense sequences. One of Krasinski's best visual touches is with a couple of scenes that capture the audience's perspective as being in a car and driving fast, like in the beginning when Evelyn is desperately reversing from the bus that is halfway inside her house. Those scenes inject a lot of adrenaline into the film's opening and the closing, but also serve, in a way, as an appreciation from a still-developing Krasinski: he has stopped caring about relaxing filmmaking even if that overly encourages passiveness from viewers. Now, let’s become hopeful that “Part III” considers what sparked the audience’s interest in the first place.