A QUIET PLACE PART II
****
Director: John Krasinski
Screenplay: John Krasinski, based on characters created by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods.
Principal cast:
Emily Blunt
Millicent Simmonds
Noah Jupe
Cillian Murphy
Djimon Hounsou
John Krasinski
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 97 mins
Australian release date: 27 May 2021.
It’s rare in cinema that a sequel can be assessed as being better than the original, but that is the case with A Quiet Place Part II. As writer/director John Krasinski says himself, “The second movie is much bigger. It’s a much scarier movie.” And it certainly is. While A Quiet Place was smart and clever in its use of silence, this one is pulling out all the stops when it comes to scaring the bejesus out of you! It’s part-prequel too, because, in the opening scene, Krasinski takes us back to the beginning of the alien invasion and reveals how the whole terrible saga started. He immediately delivers a couple of jump-scares, reminding us just how frightening A Quiet Place was and setting the tone for what follows. From that point on, you could hear a pin drop at the preview screening; the only noise was the odd stifled scream. For this reason alone, A Quiet Place Part II was one of the most enjoyable openings of 2021; remember, this movie was first slated for release in March last year, before a different kind of alien curtailed those plans, so it was a relief to see that the film hadn’t suffered for being on the shelf for so long.
The story starts on ‘Day 1’ and shows us the small town in upstate New York where the Abbott family were living on the day it was invaded by vision-impaired aliens with very acute hearing. A local baseball game is interrupted by a smoke-trail in the sky before all hell breaks loose. (In A Quiet Place, the film opened on ‘Day 89’ and the audience wasn’t shown what had actually happened to the family prior to that.) After this dramatic start, the movie jumps forward to ‘Day 474’ and the Abbotts, now comprised of Evelyn (Emily Blunt), her deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and her infant boy, are leaving the family farm. They are hoping to reach sanctuary somewhere, however, they find they aren’t welcome when they stumble on the hideout of a friend from their previous life, Emmett (Cillian Murphy). He is reluctant to take on the burden of looking after them and the baby adds to the risk - after all, how do you keep a newborn quiet? Discouraged, Regan decides to head off on her own to an island that she suspects will provide a safe haven for the family, but it requires a dangerous journey to get there. When Evelyn realises her daughter has left, she begs Emmett to go after her. When he does, events contrive to separate Evelyn and Marcus, too. From then on, there are three threads of the plot to follow and all of them are terrifying.
When interviewed in a video link from NYC after the screening, Krasinski admitted that he was initially reticent to make a sequel to A Quiet Place, precisely because they usually don’t match up to the promise of their predecessors. However, after much deliberation, he decided to go ahead by changing the emphasis and giving Millicent Simmonds greater prominence. All the principal actors, Blunt (who is ‘Mrs. Krasinski’ in real life), Simmonds, Jupe and Murphy, are thoroughly convincing. Perhaps it’s the need to whisper or use sign language that intensifies the performances? Whatever it is, all four leads deliver the goods, putting you firmly in the picture with them. A Quiet Place Part II looks good, too, being shot on 35mm. film, like the first film - the beautiful surrounds of upper New York state belie the horror of the situation. Once again, the sound design and editing are particularly thrilling, thanks to the original team returning for the sequel (silence is used to great effect), and composer Marco Beltrami is back, too, providing the film with another highly atmospheric score. So, if you’re in need of an adrenalin rush and enjoy jumping out of your skin, then A Quiet Place Part II is definitely for you. Just don’t make a noise.
Screenplay: John Krasinski, based on characters created by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods.
Principal cast:
Emily Blunt
Millicent Simmonds
Noah Jupe
Cillian Murphy
Djimon Hounsou
John Krasinski
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 97 mins
Australian release date: 27 May 2021.
It’s rare in cinema that a sequel can be assessed as being better than the original, but that is the case with A Quiet Place Part II. As writer/director John Krasinski says himself, “The second movie is much bigger. It’s a much scarier movie.” And it certainly is. While A Quiet Place was smart and clever in its use of silence, this one is pulling out all the stops when it comes to scaring the bejesus out of you! It’s part-prequel too, because, in the opening scene, Krasinski takes us back to the beginning of the alien invasion and reveals how the whole terrible saga started. He immediately delivers a couple of jump-scares, reminding us just how frightening A Quiet Place was and setting the tone for what follows. From that point on, you could hear a pin drop at the preview screening; the only noise was the odd stifled scream. For this reason alone, A Quiet Place Part II was one of the most enjoyable openings of 2021; remember, this movie was first slated for release in March last year, before a different kind of alien curtailed those plans, so it was a relief to see that the film hadn’t suffered for being on the shelf for so long.
The story starts on ‘Day 1’ and shows us the small town in upstate New York where the Abbott family were living on the day it was invaded by vision-impaired aliens with very acute hearing. A local baseball game is interrupted by a smoke-trail in the sky before all hell breaks loose. (In A Quiet Place, the film opened on ‘Day 89’ and the audience wasn’t shown what had actually happened to the family prior to that.) After this dramatic start, the movie jumps forward to ‘Day 474’ and the Abbotts, now comprised of Evelyn (Emily Blunt), her deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and her infant boy, are leaving the family farm. They are hoping to reach sanctuary somewhere, however, they find they aren’t welcome when they stumble on the hideout of a friend from their previous life, Emmett (Cillian Murphy). He is reluctant to take on the burden of looking after them and the baby adds to the risk - after all, how do you keep a newborn quiet? Discouraged, Regan decides to head off on her own to an island that she suspects will provide a safe haven for the family, but it requires a dangerous journey to get there. When Evelyn realises her daughter has left, she begs Emmett to go after her. When he does, events contrive to separate Evelyn and Marcus, too. From then on, there are three threads of the plot to follow and all of them are terrifying.
When interviewed in a video link from NYC after the screening, Krasinski admitted that he was initially reticent to make a sequel to A Quiet Place, precisely because they usually don’t match up to the promise of their predecessors. However, after much deliberation, he decided to go ahead by changing the emphasis and giving Millicent Simmonds greater prominence. All the principal actors, Blunt (who is ‘Mrs. Krasinski’ in real life), Simmonds, Jupe and Murphy, are thoroughly convincing. Perhaps it’s the need to whisper or use sign language that intensifies the performances? Whatever it is, all four leads deliver the goods, putting you firmly in the picture with them. A Quiet Place Part II looks good, too, being shot on 35mm. film, like the first film - the beautiful surrounds of upper New York state belie the horror of the situation. Once again, the sound design and editing are particularly thrilling, thanks to the original team returning for the sequel (silence is used to great effect), and composer Marco Beltrami is back, too, providing the film with another highly atmospheric score. So, if you’re in need of an adrenalin rush and enjoy jumping out of your skin, then A Quiet Place Part II is definitely for you. Just don’t make a noise.