John Krasinski's masterful 'A Quiet Place' from 2018, while being one of the numerous original films to come out of Hollywood every year, seems like it's too good to be true. A comedic actor who had been making his transition into more dramatic and action territory made and starred, alongside his wife, in his directorial debut that made for an incendiary and riveting Horror picture with minimal dialogue that'd then sweep up plaudits of critical acclaim, award nominations including wins from the AFI and National Board of Review, plus importantly- the respect of audiences (and it was produced by Michael Bay of all people). Now after a brutal start of the decade for cinema, Krasinski's follow-up is deservedly being seen in the biggest screen possible because it's a richly spare and satisfying sequel.
'Part II' hits several of the hallmarks of the best type of sequel- more world-building, new characters, character growth and not forgetting what made its predecessor so novel. Krasinski's direction is as good as ever, and it isn't merely the juxtaposition of silence, visual storytelling, spare score, cinematography; there's also the hair-raising editing that combines several aligning scenes and moments in separate locations together like the tracks of a Pink Floyd album. You'll be more than glad to see the returning cast of the Abbot family come into their own again, and especially the daughter Regan played by Millicent Simmonds. She was pivotal in 'Part I', but in many ways this is her film- not only in her interactions with the family, but also newcomer Emmett. Cillian Murphy's turn here as the grizzled loner is a perfect successor to Krasinski's Lee from 'Part I', plus his arc of being an unlikely surrogate father to Regan and finding salvation along the way is immaculate.
There are hints in the trailer that there's a new location involving some survivors, which in-film makes for a compelling albeit temporary development. If any one flaw were to be pinpointed, it's that we get a merely 5 minutes or so with this section before the climax. Some viewers might be jarred by the aging of Regan and her brother Marcus (rising young star Noah Jupe), but this is minor once you get in the swing of events and care about these characters. If you can handle the recastings of Rachel Dawes in 'The Dark Knight' and Rhode in the Marvel Universe despite them looking starkly different from those who came before (which don't bother me either), than aging children isn't a pushback.
If any original film these past several years deserved a sequel, 'A Quiet Place' was a shoo-in. 'The Nice Guys 2' seems like a pipe dream at this point, but 'Part II' here is a wish granted from the fountain. It might not quite have that first-time magic of 'Part I', but its ingenuity and forward-momentum plot shouldn't be taken for granted, especially in 2021.
Grade- 3.5 out of 4 stars.
'Part II' hits several of the hallmarks of the best type of sequel- more world-building, new characters, character growth and not forgetting what made its predecessor so novel. Krasinski's direction is as good as ever, and it isn't merely the juxtaposition of silence, visual storytelling, spare score, cinematography; there's also the hair-raising editing that combines several aligning scenes and moments in separate locations together like the tracks of a Pink Floyd album. You'll be more than glad to see the returning cast of the Abbot family come into their own again, and especially the daughter Regan played by Millicent Simmonds. She was pivotal in 'Part I', but in many ways this is her film- not only in her interactions with the family, but also newcomer Emmett. Cillian Murphy's turn here as the grizzled loner is a perfect successor to Krasinski's Lee from 'Part I', plus his arc of being an unlikely surrogate father to Regan and finding salvation along the way is immaculate.
There are hints in the trailer that there's a new location involving some survivors, which in-film makes for a compelling albeit temporary development. If any one flaw were to be pinpointed, it's that we get a merely 5 minutes or so with this section before the climax. Some viewers might be jarred by the aging of Regan and her brother Marcus (rising young star Noah Jupe), but this is minor once you get in the swing of events and care about these characters. If you can handle the recastings of Rachel Dawes in 'The Dark Knight' and Rhode in the Marvel Universe despite them looking starkly different from those who came before (which don't bother me either), than aging children isn't a pushback.
If any original film these past several years deserved a sequel, 'A Quiet Place' was a shoo-in. 'The Nice Guys 2' seems like a pipe dream at this point, but 'Part II' here is a wish granted from the fountain. It might not quite have that first-time magic of 'Part I', but its ingenuity and forward-momentum plot shouldn't be taken for granted, especially in 2021.
Grade- 3.5 out of 4 stars.