Name: A Quiet Place: Part II
Director: John Krasinski.
Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski.
Runtime: 97 mins.
IMDb rating: 7.9
My rating: 9/10.
Quick summary: The Abbots are in search of sanctuary after the climactic events of the first movie. They meet an old family friend who reluctantly takes them in, but they quickly realise that the monsters may not be the only thing to fear in the new world. For those of you who are glad of the return of local cinemas, this movie is your best bet at getting right back into the immersive world of movies.
A Quiet Place: Part II picks up where the first movie left off. We get a brief look back at the beginning of the alien invasion in the small rural town of the Abbotts. Director John Krasinksi gets a brief cameo as the heroic Lee, already understanding that the monsters are relying on their hearing to hunt their prey. We are then transported back to the present where the remaining Abbotts leave their house following the climactic events of the first movie and set off in search of sanctuary elsewhere. They immediately run into trouble and realise that the monsters may not be the only malicious creatures out there.
Fans of the first movie will be pleased with the sequel. It uses the jump scares and tension building that worked so well in A Quiet Place (2018) and adds more world building and action that gets the audience invested. We see more of the creatures in full flight in this movie and get to witness their raw power, ripping through the sides of trains and ripping people limb from limb. Fans of horror and action will both be happy with this movie.
A Quiet Place: Part II boasts some incredible individual performances. Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe have some brilliant scenes together and separately where we truly see how scared and alone they are when faced with the monsters. However, the performances of Cillian Murphy and Millicent Simmonds are fantastic to watch. There is a proper connection between the two. Murphy plays an old family friend of the Abbots turned reluctant saviour who must save Regan (Simmonds) before she gets caught by the monsters or something else. They are both fantastic actors, particularly Simmonds who has been deaf since infancy, and shows that anybody can be an actor.
It is also always great to see Cillian Murphy in anything. The reclusive Corkman gave an interview to Rory Cashin of Joe.ie in which he admitted almost writing a letter to John Krasinski and asking to be in any possible sequel after watching the original movie. He held off but luckily if you manifest it they will come and Krasinski had a part in mind for one of Ireland’s best actors!
My only problem with this movie is that it is too short and ends rather abruptly. It is an hour and a half long and does end on a high adrenaline shot. I am not sure if my shock is a product of the modern ending, in which everything is explained to you over twenty minutes after the movie should have ended, or if I just wanted more. One thing I am sure of is that if there is A Quiet Place: Part III, I will be first in line to see it at my local cinema.