A Quiet Place was a refreshing surprise hit in the Spring of 2018 directed by actor John Krasinski that featured an interesting sci-fi concept mixed with a heartwrenching story, impressive behind the camera work from Krasinski, and a high dollar return on investment for Paramount. Naturally, such a fantasic debut and big box office led to the studio greenlighting and fast-tracking a sequel to cash in on the good will and momentum. Part of what made A Quiet Place so good was the element of surprise and not seeing coming. With that element now removed and the different concept now one with which audiences are famiiar, can Krasinski and Paramount executives recreate that magic now that audiences have expectations?
A Quiet Place Part II picks up immediately where the first film left off after the deadly events at the Abbott home where Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Marcus (Noah Jupe), and Regan (Millicent Simmonds) figure out how to neutralize and kill the previously invulnerable creatures that have paralyzed the world. The Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they soon run into former neighbor Emmett (Cillian Murphy) and as they join with him to find other survivors, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
Following up a mega successful hit movie is always a tricky proposition, particularly when its success was unexpected something that no one saw coming. Now you’ve transformed from an underdog, surprise hit to one saddled with that often unforgiving word and concept, expectations. This underlying fact makes what Krasinski has been able to craft with this film all the more impressive as the tension and suspense in Part II is just as thick and compelling as it was in its predecessor, despite the fact that we know the premise and now anticipate what it feels like and what our reactions to it may be. The same nail-biting tension created by the need for silence carries over without feeling stale or repetitive as the audience waits with bated breath for characters to evade the senses of the creatures among them as they go from one point to the next in search of safety and solace. The result is a continued investment in the world, the characters, and the film itself as viewers become immersed in the search for an answer to the imprisonment these creatures have imposed as if operating alongside the Abbott family.
Krasinski also continues his ascent as a writer and director in the technical aspects of the film with the integration of a flashback opening that expands the world and origins of the creatures which lead into perfectly executed callbacks and an ending that nails two parallel scenes between Reagan and Marcus as they protect the adults in their lives and cross the Rubicon from young adulthood toward becoming autonomous and forging identities of their own. Krasinski’s writing, as well as the camerawork of he and director of photography Polly Morgan and the editing of Michael P. Shawver, allows the dialogueless scene to speak as to what’s happening using purely visual language and cues as the brother and sister slowly step into a new part of their lives as protectors and warriors, following in the dad’s footsteps. It’s a confirmation that Krasinski’s well made first entry in this franchise was no fluke and something that we can now come to expect from his filmmaking.
The film definitely leaves the door open for future installments from Krasinski as the Abbott children, Simmonds’ Regan in particular, clearly have taken the mantle as the new hope for the future of this world, taking on the mantle of protector once held by their father, reinforcing the film’s theme of adversity pushing human beings into digging deep to find fortitude not even they realize they possess. Simmonds and Jupe offer impressive performances as more is asked of them in this sequel with Simmonds specifically presenting another quality turn as the film’s emotional center just as she did in the first movie.
Following up greatness with more greatness is one of hardest things to do in life and cinema is no different, particularly in a world as filled with cynicism as ours. That A Quiet Place Part II was able to follow its hit predecessor with another quality entry so soon without a franchise plan mapped out years in advance makes what John Krasinski has crafted that much more impressive. With the performances of Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe being so strong, and Emily Blunt still at the top of her game, the franchise can remain successful for as long as Krasinski’s creative mind allows.
Image: Paramount Pictures
