The wait for "A Quiet Place Part II" has been longer than expected, but it was a wait that was well-deserved. Sequels, especially ones to horror films don't have the best track record but not only does "Part II" succeed as a great follow up, but it provides the groundwork for what could be a great franchise.
The movie takes an interesting start by showing us the first day the monsters invaded before we have a direct follow up of the ending of the original film. Normally, I wouldn't think this prequel sequence would be a great idea as a lot of movies these days spend too much time explaining the backstory when it's really not necessary and can take away the mystique of the monsters if done incorrectly. Here though, it's not so much about showing the origins of the monster but rather showing us what life was beforehand to give some depth to the story later on. It also helps to introduce us to the new character Emmet played by Cillian Murphy, giving us just enough of a glimpse into his life so that we can understand him later on.
The story from then on is pretty straightforward as far as survival movies go. The Abbott family are forced to leave their home after the previous film and try to survive the wasteland while encountering dangers, some even worse than the monsters themselves. It's a pretty paint by numbers structure on paper, but writer/director John Krasinski has proven himself to be a talented man and here it's no different. The tension in this flick is insane, using a vast array of different sound and editing techniques rather than the traditional jump scare with little to no payoff or buildup that has become more common these days. I won't lie and say that jump scares aren't present here, but I counted maybe two of them total and they were paced and deserved rather than cheap and lazy so a big win here.
What I enjoyed the most from this movie is the daughter Regan, who gets center stage this time around. Despite her disability, she is more determined than anyone else to survive and reach a special location that can possibly help against the monsters. The actress Millicent Simmonds shows amazing range and she is the emotional core of the film and I can't wait to see her in future sequels and other projects. The rest of the cast do an admirable job as well but you can tell they are secondary characters this time around with the exception of Cillain Murphy, who has a well done character arc and its always nice to see the actor as he's one of my personal favorites.
The others are okay, although I have to say Noah Jupe, who plays the oldest brother kind of got gypped here. His character is incapacitated early on and he really adds nothing to the film other than crying and cowering until the climax but by then you're so annoyed with him and his decisions it doesn't leave any impact. He doesn't really grow as a character, he just suddenly works up the courage after everyone else has done the dirty work. It's a shame because I'm not blaming the actor, but it seems the film didn't need his character.
"A Quiet Place Part II" also deserves praise for having a excellent camera crew and sound designers who make the movie so effective. This movie leaves no room to breathe which can be tiresome in a lot of movies but with a lighting paced running time, they managed to balance that just right. This is the best horror film I've seen so far this year and deserves your attention and all of the praise it's gotten. Do not miss this film, especially in theaters where it can best be appreciated. See this movie!
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