A Quiet Place II - A Fair Sequel to A Promising Predecessor

Sophomore filmmaker, John Krasinski, returns after making a splash with his 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller, “A Quiet Place.” Considering the film was a resounding box office success that pleased audiences and critics alike, it was only a matter of time before Paramount Pictures would look to terrify fans once again with the film’s sound-seeking monsters.

Its sequel picks up right where we left off with the Abbott family, but not before a taught prologue that presents the initial moment of the creature’s arrival. We see a posthumous Lee Abbott (Krasinski) make his way about in a quaint town. It's the type of town where he has a running tab at the local hardware store, where he is on a first-name basis with its owner. In a truly picturesque snapshot of Americana, a flannel-wearing Lee gets in a pickup truck on his way to his son, Marcus’s (Noah Jupe), baseball game. The entire town is seemingly in attendance at this little league game, including Lee’s friend,

Emmett (Cillian Murphy), whose radio begins to lose its signal. Simultaneously, as Marcus awaits the next pitch, something else captures his attention as he stares horrified into the sky. A fiery meteor, no doubt carrying the murderous monsters, is hurtling across the horizon. As the townspeople hurry to their cars, that’s when they attack.

It’s an effective opener that captures the attention of the audience and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. Once the chaos ensues, our attention is never diverted from the safety of the Abbott family. We see Lee and his wife, Evelyn (Emily Blunt), working to protect their children. It remains a constant motif throughout the sequel, which Kransesnki has maintained is inspired by his becoming a father.

With his sophomore feature, Kransesnki has seemingly become familiar with providing enough tense scenarios for our heroes to navigate. The sequel scoops its audience up and plops them into this sound-weary world and reminds them just how quiet a movie theater can be, no doubt because of the audience trying to be as quiet as the protagonists so they too aren't attacked by the vicious creatures.

Despite the inherent terror found in the concept, the sequel fails to live up to the promise of the next logical question the first installment proposes.

In one of the most memorable sequences from its predecessor showcasing a harrowing sequence where Evelyn gives birth to a baby with one of the extraterrestrials just around the corner, "A Quiet Place II" So, ow that you've given birth to this child. What now? Lee sacrificed himself to save his family. What now? Krasinski attempts to answer the latter question but only provides mediocre solutions.

The sequel seemingly tries to up the stakes for the Abbott family. Now that they must flee their haven into the world filled with monsters, human and non-human alike. In the opening moments following the prologue, Marcus steps into a bear trap, which mangles his foot. The circumstances seem insurmountable for our heroes. That is until the aforementioned family friend, Emmett, rescues the Abbotts, albeit reluctantly.

From here, the family splinters apart as Regan (Millicent Simmonds), takes her hearing aid, which may be the only chance of survival for the human race, to a nearby radio station to broadcast the frequency, thereby defeating the creatures.

In an admirable turn for the series, Regan becomes the shotgun-toting hero of the film, whereas Evelyn stays behind to mend the wounds of Marcus's foot and to search for oxygen tanks for the newborn baby. Although Kransinki's choice to highlight Regan as the main hero of the film, his script takes a few steps back in the process of providing empowerment to the young leading lady.

The courage Regan musters is reminiscent of her father, one character notes. This point is brought up quite often, in fact. Considering Kransinki's writing, directing, and producing of the film, it's difficult not to question the sentiment. Why is this young woman so brave? Well, that's because of her dad. It's especially troubling when considering the role of Evelyn in the film, whose involvement in the film is equivalent to a fetch quest. Aside from the disappointment from seeing a bona fide badass like Emily Blunt reduced to going on a supply run, particularly considering the prior film's closing shot is Blunt racking a shotgun like a postpartum Rambo, it's especially frustrating considering the tension that could have arisen by having the family venture through the treacherous journey together. It seems like an obvious opportunity for success but is for some unknown reason stifled.

Following the film's nerve-racking prologue, "A Quiet Place II" tries to emulate its predecessor's taut sense of anxiety, but aside from a smattering of noteworthy sequences, the status-quo of providing audiences what they've more or less come to expect with the series seems to be sufficient for the second installment of what's sure to be a trilogy. But in a series where brushing one's teeth would be suspenseful enough, the Office alumni never quite reach the peaks of the first installment, nor does the film capitalize on the already inherently tense challenges that plague the remainder of the Abbott family.