A Quiet Place Part II Movie Review

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

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Written by: John Krasinski (written by), Bryan Woods & Scott Beck (based on characters created by)
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, Scoot McNairy
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.

Verdict
My concern was that it would be a copy or quick cash grab, but this does a great job building on the first movie. This splits story lines to keep the tension just as high, or higher, than the first movie. While it employs some of the same sound design as the first, it's nearly as effective the second time out. A few plot points don't hold up under scrutiny, but in the moment it's easy to miss it as the pacing remains brisk.
Watch It.

Review
The lack of dialog and sound design in the first movie, A Quiet Place, made it unique. How do you top that with a sequel? It would be easy to do the same thing again, but then it feels like a copy. I wondered if Part II could build on the first one. There's no way to create something as unique as the first, but will the sequel just feel like a cash grab?

This opens with a high energy flashback to show origins of the monsters that don't quite sync with the first movie. The opening gets you with jumps cares and effectively uses sound. It sets the tone for the rest of the movie which picks up right after the first move ended, though it does retcon the final image of the first to streamline the opening for the sequel.

Cillian Murphy plays Emmett.

I don't quite understand Evelyn's (Emily Blunt) plan. The family is leaving everything behind with no apparent plan. They have nowhere to go. I get that the farm is in ruins, but at least it provides some protection. My conclusion is that they leave to set up the plot for this movie. The family experiences extremely bad and good luck, falling into a fortress that family friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy) is holding down.

One of the family gets a serious injury, and I thought it would be a death sentence. It's not, the reality of that is played rather loose. The character should be sidelined with an injury like that.

I appreciate the movie doesn't explain why Emmett is timing how long they're in the vault. Too many movies would have one of the kids question it, but I have to wonder how Emmett accounted for four other people in his calculation on the fly.

The big thing from the first movie is that they don't wear shoes to remain quiet. Wrestling shoes would serve the same purpose and offer protection. Emmett wears works boots and is still alive. Regan (Millicent Simmonds) runs off to add drama. I wasn't sure how Emmett tracked her so easily or caught up with her so quickly. Not to mention that Regan is at a huge disadvantage

Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmons play Evelyn, Marcus, Regan.

The sequel definitely uses the foundation and design of the first movie, which is expected, but this one has enough new ideas to prevent it from feeling like the same movie. This splits the characters up for maximum drama, though it does lay it on thick when each group is in a dire moment and we cut back and forth with characters facing down imminent danger. That's what makes this more intense that the original. We have multiple plot line to follow with characters in mortal danger. Things always go bad, and at a certain point it just feels like too much. Nobody ever catches a break in this world.

The people on the dock:

SPOILERS

The dock people get killed by a monster before Emmett discovers the monsters can't swim. I have a difficult time believing the dock people never realized that. If they had, they would have jumped into the water too. Why do they live on the docks if not for protection? They would have seen a creature drowning at some point.

The ending is surprising in that this stops short. This is left wide open for a third movie. Part 3 is set for 2023, with Jeff Nichols taking over writing and directing. While nothing definitive about the plot has been released, John Krasinski's general comments seem to indicate this won't be a direct sequel, but a parallel story in the same universe.