A Quiet Place Part II

The surprise horror alien monster hit from 2018 returns in a follow up that lacks the surprise element of its original, but still does have enough to appease the fans who have demanded more…..

While many sequels contain time jumps or offer new characters to the chaos, this entry is one of the rare beasts in which its a direct continuation from where the original left off. Yes we get a stunning opening set-piece that serves as a prequel to the whole premise and throws up the much welcome excuse to see John Krasinski back in action for a brief time after the events of the first film,

Its here that the Quiet Place Part II sparkles with intensity. A normal American school day where parents watch their children play on the familiar Baseball pitches is overshadowed by a giant fireball in the sky and all of a sudden, creatures of unknown origins are attacking the local townsfolk and life suddenly is never the same again.

Front and centre of this new chaos is once more the Abbot Family, led by Lee and Evelyn (Krasinksi and Emily Blunt) that includes a startling bus and reversing car set piece that really grips you and sets the mood up perfectly and shows once more that Krasinski is a deft hand at writing and directing.

While his role is a mere cameo and the opening serves up a 2021 highlight of cinema, we soon land back to where the original film ended, with it being day 474 since the aliens landed on earth and the remaining Abbot family which include deaf daughter and the best character, Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and son Marcus (Noah Jupe), along with a baby born into this world where silence is a vital ingredient to survive is once more the source of tension, are trying to adapt and survive in this new dark era.

While the original had these monsters mostly in the shadows, with their screeching noise leaving a lot for the viewer to imagine, here we see them in their full glory and to be fair the CGI rises to it and while its obvious that the sequel loses that creepy confined claustrophobic vibe, we still get scenes of nail biting fear, even though the series now expands into a big bad world, not to dissimilar to that of The Walking Dead.

Its for that reason that in-between the thrills and spills, those who have spent eleven seasons watching Rick, Daryl and co walk endlessly to find a new home, will not really be blown away by the Abbot’s braving out into this whole new world. Cillian Murphy’s newcomer Emmett is the perfect example of a character we have seen many times before, An outsider who wants to protect his own surroundings and wary of strangers and while he has a past history with the family, he only agrees to help when he see’s the baby in tow.

While Blunt is excellent as always, effortlessly moving from mother to protector to kick ass action hero, it really is Simmonds who steals the show, taking charge and really proving once and for all that she really is her father’s daughter.

Krasinksi doesn’t reinvent the sequel with this entry but he has created a family that we do care about and while there are moments where the plot breeds familiarity, when the action hits, it soars and it have you grabbing that arm rest with your heart racing with adrenalin.

A Quiet Place II may lack the surprise beauty of its original, but it does more than enough to give you an appetite for a third bout of whispering chaos…..