‘A Quiet Place Part II’ Review: Millicent Simmonds is Sensational in John Krasinski’s Stellar Sequel

A Quiet Place Part II is one of the best horror-thriller sequels in a long time.

John Krasinski returns as writer-director and delivers a film equal to if not better than 2018’s A Quiet Place. He opens up the world without sacrificing any of the family dynamics that made the first film such a harrowing experience. The alien creatures from the first film are more prominently shown here, but never at the expense of the human characters.

One of the most impressive aspects of Krasinski’s directing is his sense of pacing. He knows which scenes need to breathe and which ones need to be shorter. There’s not a wasted scene in this film.

Sound is just as important a character as the first film. Every jacket snag, misplaced step and cry feels like a life-and-death struggle. Adding to the film’s atmosphere is returning composer Marco Beltrami. I loved his score in the first film and his score in A Quiet Place Part II is even better.

The film’s opening scene is a masterful work of art by Krasinski and one of the best openings to a film I can remember. The presence of Lee Abbott in this opening scene is a great reminder of what the Abbott family has lost.

Krasinski’s decision to split up the Abbotts allows Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe to shine. A Quiet Place Part II is Simmonds’s film and she does a tremendous job. Regan Abbott takes it upon herself to expose the weakness of the alien creature to as many people as possible. Watching her try to navigate this quiet world while being unable to hear the creatures adds a different type of terror from the first film. Jupe has a scene in this film that comes the closest to the tension of the bathtub scene in A Quiet Place. I will remember Marcus Abbott’s scream for a long time to come.

The film mostly focuses on the Abbott children, but Emily Blunt makes the most out of every scene she’s in. Cillian Murphy is a great addition to this universe. When you lose everyone else in your family, how do you have the strength to keep going? This is the dilemma Emmett wrestles with throughout the film.

The horror aspect isn’t at the same level as A Quiet Place. There are maybe a couple of truly terrifying scenes in the film. For me though, the strength of this franchise is the family drama set in an almost impossible situation. The sequel thrives at telling this aspect of the story. From an emotional standpoint, A Quiet Place Part II doesn’t quite reach the heights of the opening and ending of the first film. To be fair, that’s a nearly impossible task as the first film had me crying multiple times and especially in the climactic scene.

Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is exactly what I wanted out of the sequel to my No. 1 film of 2018.

With the overview out of the way, lets dive deeper into A Quiet Place Part II. Please note there will be some minor spoilers. A Quiet Place Part II is available in theaters.

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Day Zero in A Quiet Place Part II

Starting the film on Day Zero is a brilliant decision by Krasinski for two reasons. The obvious one is showing when the aliens arrive and how fast everything happened. The other reason is that it allows the audience to see Lee Abbott again. By showing Lee in the opening scene, we feel the Abbotts’ pain of losing him.

Make no mistake the opening scene is all about Lee. Everyone in town knows, respects and likes Lee. The charisma Krasinski exudes as a community leader is such a strong juxtaposition to the Lee we saw in the first film.

When the aliens do arrive, Krasinski doesn’t disappoint. He shoots the sequence in one long continuous shot that adds to the immediate panic. To go into any more detail about this sequence, would ruin one of the best opening sequences ever. I’ll just say this, Krasinski’s handling of action here shows just how much he continues to improve as a director.

Regan’s Aid

While Regan, Marcus and Evelyn Abbott begin the film as one unit, they eventually split off. The decision to split off isn’t a contrived plot point. Regan simply decides to use the map her father was using in the first film to reach a place where she can send a signal from her cochlear implant to the outside world.

After an impassioned plea from a worried mother to a father who has lost everything, Emmett agrees to find Regan. Simmonds does such a great job of showing Regan’s bravery. She also demonstrates the pure terror of trying to survive this much larger and dangerous world without being able to hear. When Emmett does catch up, he does come to her rescue once. Regan consistently saves Emmett through the rest of the film is such a smart choice.

Earlier in the film, Emmett told the Abbott family there are no people worth saving. Krasinski uses the Regan-Emmett pairing to briefly show how far other humans in this part of the country have fallen. I could have used some more background on the people Regan and Emmett run into. However, just like in the first film with giving background on the alien creatures, A Quiet Place Part II is mostly about how one specific family is maneuvering through this world. I ended up appreciating Krasinski’s storytelling restraint in telling this aspect of the film.

Murphy is just terrific opposite Simmonds and Blunt in this film. The film consistently shows that Emmett isn’t Lee. He’s just a man trying to do what he can to help the daughter of his friend. Emmett starts out hopeless, but as the film goes along it’s a pleasure to see his humanity and empathy return.

In my favorite scene of the film, there’s a beautiful exchange on a beach. Emmett tells Regan she’s right about him not being like her father, but you [Regan] are. The emotions on Regan’s face had me nearly in tears.

Djimon Hounsou plays a small, but crucial role in the duo’s journey but to reveal more of how he plays into the film is a major spoiler.

Furnace Dwelling

Not only do the Abbotts have to travel past the sand path, but they also have to tread carefully with a newborn. Marcus suffers a major injury early in the film which forces the Abbott family to take refuge at a mostly abandoned steel foundry. Emmett lives in a bunker underneath the foundry which allows for Evelyn, Marcus and Emmett to talk. How Evelyn keeps the newborn quiet is as novel as it’s disturbing.

Blunt does a fantastic job of showing Evelyn’s desire to try and keep her family together. She is able to keep Marcus calm and restore his confidence while appealing to the father inside of Emmet to bring her daughter home.

The scenes in the foundry feel the closest to the tension-filled moments in A Quiet Place. Similar to the lantern in the first film, Krasinski has a clear eye for small details that draw your attention. He essentially creates a ticking clock around an object. You know what’s going to happen with said object, it’s just a matter of when. The agony of waiting for the proverbial pin to drop is excruciating in the best way.

A Quiet Place Part II Final Thoughts

A Quiet Place Part II is a worthy successor to the first film in almost every way. The scares aren’t as frequent as the first film. However, the development of each character is superior to the first film. The focus on world building helps demonstrate the perilous situations Regan and Marcus in particular, are in.

Then there’s the opening scene of the film. The sequence proves Krasinski is capable of making a fun creature feature but chooses to focus his film around one family. The family drama strategy allows the film’s climax to land with a bang before fading out to unnerving silence. With Krasinski and Michael B. Jordan‘s Without Remorse on Amazon, maybe Krasinski can helm a John Clancy crossover?

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