Don’t break the silence

For those who haven’t seen the first movie or those who forgot what it was about, co-writer/director Krasinski gives you a recap. Day one was the day during which everything changed. A normal day in a small town turned into a nightmare when alien creatures attacked the inhabitants, including Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) his family. They killed anything that made a noise, and being quiet was the best way of surviving. Four hundred and seventy-four days later, we see the aftermath of that day. Lee is dead, and his widow Evelyn (Emily Blunt) left their home with their three children Marcus (Noah Jupe), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and a newborn baby. They’re running for the hills where they will be safe from the aliens.

During their journey, being quiet is of vital importance, but that’s easier said than done. They come across an old friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who at first refuses to help; there aren’t enough resources, more people make more noise and “there are people not worth saving”. Evelyn can convince him, and from then onwards, Krasinski gives you multiple storylines evolving simultaneously. All with their heroic lead and darkness luring over them. Regan cracked a radio signal that would help the next generations to survive, and together with Emmett, she tries to find where the radio signal comes from. Evelyn is left to look after Marcus and her baby, but when resources become scarce, it seems that their days are numbers, especially with a crying baby. Will Regan and Emmett find the radio signal to save the family, or will the creatures tear apart the Abbott family once more?

We received amazingness of the cast and crew loud and clear

A Quiet Place was mainly about a man sacrificing himself to save his loved one; this movie is about surviving by helping each other. During the first movie, you had to wait to get a glimpse of the aliens, but now you see them straight away. The ‘how do the monsters look like?’ question is replaced by ‘will this character make noise?’. Yes, there are few shifts from A Quiet Place to Part II, but luckily for us, Krasinski created a clever, intriguing, and dark movie again.

As mentioned, multiple storylines are happening at the same time, and to give you that suspenseful vibe, editor Michael P. Shawver (Black Panther, Creed) uses fast-paced editing to go back and forth in between those subplots. The closer they get to unravelling, the faster the editing becomes, and when some of them come to an end at the same time, it all goes to pitch black, and for few seconds, you wonder who survived and who didn’t.

Of course, brilliant editing like that wouldn’t have the same effect if it wasn’t for the great combination of stunning cinematography and top-notch acting performances. The long, slow and wide shots from cinematographer Polly Morgan (Lucy in the Sky, Spinning Man) give you the chance to immerse yourself into the world of the Abbott family. Whether it’s brighter scenes before the world came to an end or the darkest ones, when death and darkness are present, Morgan knows how to capture the spirit of each moment. Even more so when she uses close-ups to highlight human feelings. There are also subtle references to the previous movie. Remember when she goes down the stairs, and a nail sticks out of one of the steps? Well, it might or might not happen again this time.

The performances are as solid as the ones in the first movie. Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, The Girl on the Train) excels on multiple fronts. Not only as the caring mother but also as the unafraid woman who would do anything for her family. That scene, in which her and her on-screen son Marcus storyline comes to an end, is just perfectly balanced. You will get both big emotions and action. It’s just a shame that she doesn’t have a lot of screentime as sometimes it feels like the A Quiet Place newcomer Cillian Murphy (Free Fire, Inception) is taking on the role Krasinski had during the first movie. However, there’s nothing wrong with Murphy’s electrifying and touching performance; we see his rough-tough character come to life stunningly, especially because he even shows the hidden sensitive side of Emmett.

While Blunt and Murphy might have the most credits under their belts, A Quiet Place Part II is Simmonds’ and Jupe’s movie. They might have a sweet and innocent vibe around them, but they definitely show you that they bring exhilarating and poignant performances to the big screen. It’s also great to see that Krasinski allows them to shine in their storylines. Simmonds (Wonderstruck, Close Up) brings out captivating acting during Regan’s dangerous search for help while Jupe (Le Mans ’66, Wonder) delivers a tremendous performance when protecting his A Quiet Place family.

Cinema is back!

The cinematic world is finally opening up again, which is fantastic! Ok, the world of A Quiet Place Part II might be a dark one to discover. However, if you dare to step into that world, then you won’t regret it because Krasinski delivers again a dark, thrilling, suspenseful and emotional movie that will keep you on your toes the entire time. It’s also a great starting point for a potential Part III…

Rating: (4 / 5)

Also Read: A Horror Fans Film Guide to 2021

The post Review: A Quiet Place Part II appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

For me, A Quiet Place came out of nowhere. One day I heard there was a new film coming out where the hook was none of the characters spoke or made noise in the film. This was A Quiet Place and while it wasn’t as silent as the original stories suggested to make a film with so little dialogue was very ambitious. The film could have been a disaster, it could have been a gimmicky movie that just didn’t work and it’s a testament to all involved that it was a great film. With IMDb estimating the budget at $17,000,000 and it making around $50,000,000 in its opening weekend in America it’s not terribly surprising that a sequel is coming out.

What happened in Part I?

A Quiet Place showed a post-apocalyptic world where society had completely collapsed, the cause was terrifying monsters who hunted by sound but essentially couldn’t see anything. The film followed the Abbott family as they tried to survive in this world, going to extraordinary lengths to not make any noise. Viewers immediately picked up on one potential problem which was Evelyn Abbot was pregnant. The film was a masterpiece in tension with the audience constantly on the lookout for potential causes of noise – at one point a loose nail sticking out of a floorboard was shown and everyone knew it was a matter of time before someone stood on it. At the end of the film, Evelyn managed to give birth but they lost the dad, Lee Abbot (played by Josh Krasinski), who sacrificed himself to save his family.

The Trailer

The trailer shows us some glimpses of the moment these monsters arrived and the chaos they caused but mainly focuses on the life of the Abbot family, forced to leave their home and find somewhere safe. The sight of them trudging out is not at all hopeful and not long after reaching a deserted city they set off a trap. Fleeing this trap leads them to Cillian Murphy’s character who seemingly saves them. They join a community of survivors of which Murphy is a part, but whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is not quite clear.

Potential Pitfalls

The monsters – in the first film the monsters were barely glimpsed, sometimes you saw a flash of movement, sometimes not even that. Yet in the new trailer, it is clear you see more of the monsters. It’s long been a cliche of horror films that you shouldn’t show too much of the monster as it will always be disappointing (Alien perhaps being the classic example of getting this right with only glimpses seen until the very end of the film). Secondly, while many monsters are terrifying it’s often hard to imagine how they would seemingly overwhelm modern armies. Yes, they’re good at killing, but are they better than helicopter gunships?

Stretching Credulity – the first film had a very contained environment, most of it revolving around the family’s home consisting just a few buildings in a secluded area. The family went to extraordinary lengths to limit the sound they made and that was how they survived. It’s hard to imagine the family simply taking off and managing to keep the requisite level of silence – and, of course, they also have a newborn baby. And as the trailer shows – they are going to find a lot of people, how will their survival be explained?

Losing The Mystery – People always want to know how a situation came to be, in this case, how did these monsters destroy society but it’s not always a good idea to give them what they want. Sometimes the mystery is better.

Lightning Never Strikes Twice – A Quiet Place is ninety minutes long, which is about as short a film you can get away with these days, the director, also Krasinski, knew that after a while an audience would get sick of the confined world of virtually no dialogue. It’s a very clever idea but it could very easily have been a bad film and it is very risky thinking that idea will stretch to a second film. It’s a good sign that Krasinski is back to direct but I’m not sure it’ll be enough.

Should There Even Be A Part II?

I’m sure we all have examples of films where you wish the sequel hadn’t been made; where an interesting and original film was left as a complete story. Will A Quiet Place II be one of those films? I’m not sure as I am intrigued by the trailer but I certainly think the first film did not need a sequel. There was no need to continue the story, especially as the first film ended on a note of tragedy the sequel cannot possibly match. Still, whatever happens A Quiet Place will remain a great film.

Also Read: The Best Horror Films of the Decade

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