Director – John Krasinski (The Office, A Quiet Place)
Starring – Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise, Sherlock Gnomes), Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place, Close Up), and Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, The Dark Knight)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 3.5/5
Theatrical releases rarely catch my eye but every now and then something hits the big screen that just screams “watch me.” I’m a huge fan of The Conjuring universe along with some others that allude me for the time being. One film that I enjoyed but not as much as everyone else was A Quiet Place. It was a fun popcorn horror flick but not one that stuck with me like so many others.
When news of a sequel was announced I was for it. Sure, I wasn’t going to call in sick to work to check it out but I was curious to see where the story took us. Then the pandemic happened and the release was sidelined. Honestly, I completely forgot about the film until I received the press release for the UHD release. I was quick to request a copy and soon one arrived. I knew it was going to be fun but I was hoping it would have more of a kick than the first one.
**Spoiler Alert** The film picks up sometime after the first film with Evelyn and her children as they struggle to survive as her husband Lee was killed by the creatures that hunt by sound. While searching for resources they meet up with a former family friend who is living in a vault after his family was taken the day the creatures crashed to Earth. As resources and supplies dwindle, Evelyn’s daughter Regan (Simmonds), sneaks off to stop the creatures with her hearing aid and the hopes she can find a radio station to broadcast a frequency that could kill them. **Spoiler Alert**
I was curious where a follow up to A Quiet Place would take us but I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The story goes in a direction I was not expecting and the introduction of new characters made for a great follow up that I actually enjoyed more than the first film.
The acting in this one is great. I’m not really a fan of Emily Blunt and her character in both films is easily the weakest part of the films. Her character has no emotional range and she always looks startled in every scene. With that being said, the rest of the cast does one hell of a job. Simmonds once again delivers an amazing performance and really is the star of the film while Murphy’s introduction to the franchise was very enjoyable.
The story for this one has so much going for it. We get a great backstory as to what happened and where the creatures came from along with a great continuation of the story established in the first film. I really a lot of the scenarios introduced in the film but several scenes had predictable outcomes. I enjoyed it but the impact is taken away due to the predictability.
Finally, the film has some bloody moments with some practical and visual effects. We get a few gags with some great practical effects but the visual effects and the creatures were a bit of a disappointment to me. I’m not a fan of these twig like creatures that look like a mantis that has mutated. The visuals for these creatures are hit and miss. During some of the scenes the visuals looked alright while others the visuals did look a bit rushed. Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is my favorite between the two. We get so much more added to the story and some great new characters introduced. I can see a part three in the future and I’m excited to see it.
