Summary
The tonally different sequel to the sleeper hit makes the wider world and its young cast the stars, but is still filled with heart, thrills and quiet chills.
Being able to hear a pin drop in a crowded cinema isn’t normally the watermark of quality. Yet that was precisely the appeal of A Quiet Place, the surprise hit for director and star John Krasinski. Using the absence of sound as a powerful weapon, a film that transcended the silent gimmick to offer up an original take on the survivalist family genre.
“I wrote a family drama and I Trojan horsed it as a genre picture,” said Krasinski of the first picture, one in which real-life couple Krasinski and Emily Blunt play parents determined to protect their family against sound-sensitive monsters. In the cold open to A QUIET PLACE PART II, Krasinski’s character Lee Abbott briefly appears in a gripping sequence that takes us all the way back to Day 1.
The story proper picks up on Day 474, moments after the ending of the first film. Evelyn (Blunt), her deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and new-born baby begin the hike to what might be a friendly encampment. After meeting survivalist and old family friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy), they learn there is more of the world left than they thought, along with a chance of fighting back at the terrors.
The laser focus of the first film, and indeed much of its reliance on complete silence, is replaced here by three concurrent plotlines. If the first film used silence as a terrifying weapon, then the second expands the perimeters of that world to something grander. Having said that, Marcus and Evelyn’s arcs are more reactionary, acting as secondary characters this time around as they respectively fight off monsters on the Homefront while the search continues.
So, it is Simmonds who steps confidently into a leading role. The emotional core of this entry is her journey towards becoming a hero, alongside Emmett’s search for redemption. Deafness and her hearing aid are positively displayed, with entire conversations happening in ASL. Indeed, this so-called disability is weaponised here, with the character finding her strength via an ability she discovered at the end of the first film.
Clearly made on a bigger budget, Krasinski’s sequel is filled with some incredible set-pieces. The first of these comes early in the film: a point-of-view sequence with Blunt behind the wheel as chaos ensues around her. At other times, it’s back to super tense moments of avoiding a monster without making a sound. As with the first film, the feeling of a (refreshingly) full theatre holding its breath is tangible. There’s perhaps a little too much emphasis on the CG monsters this time around, but it all culminates in two duelling action moments that will have you white-knuckling your way to the credits.
In a Q&A at the Australian premiere, Krasinski said the “world is the main character.” Which remains the strength of this series, building solidly on the story as a sequel rather than an intended ‘franchise.’ Yes, some plot points are completely glossed over — including one of the shadier aspects of Emmett — but it never feels anything less than authentic to that world. Once again leaving us with a partially opened door, it will be fascinating to see where they take this next.
2021 | USA | DIRECTOR: John Krasinski | WRITERS: John Krasinski | CAST: Millicent Simmonds, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski | DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 27 May 2021 (AUS)
