Make some noise for this sequel.
I thought A Quiet Place was one of the better horror movies I’ve seen in the last few years and audiences mostly seemed to agree. The film’s use of sound, John Krasinski’s performance and direction, and its focus being more on the family than the monsters made it extremely memorable. Granted, it’s also on my list of films with the stupidest twists ever, which made me more than a little skeptical of the sequel potential (the sound-based monsters are vulnerable to sound and no one thought of that?). That skepticism was doubled by the fact that John Krasinski’s character died in the first one. Despite that, the movie managed to pull off a pretty solid new chapter by going more into the “society” that still remains after the apocalypse.
The film starts off at the beginning of the attack of the alien creatures that end up destroying most of Earth’s population. Evelyn and Lee Abbott (Emily Blunt and Krasinski) are attending a baseball game when they watch the first wave of attacks. The pair manage to escape along with their deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe), and youngest son Beau (Dean Woodward). In the present, Evelyn and her surviving children, including a baby, are managing to kill many of the aliens using the feedback from Regan’s cochlear implant. They search for other survivors, but Marcus is injured by a trap set by Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a former friend of Lee’s. Marcus and Regan discover that someone is broadcasting a radio signal. Regan takes off to find the source and Evelyn manages to convince Emmett to try and bring her back.
A key part of the former film was how very quiet it was, as you would expect from the title. It focused on small actions and on how hard it was for the family to avoid making noises. It helps that the film establishes that the aliens are essentially invincible and merciless killing machines by having them murder a small child with a toy at the beginning. This means that the rule that “kids can’t die” does not apply to this franchise, something that becomes immediately terrifying in a film where one of the characters is a baby who has to be carried in a soundproof device. Since the characters are traveling rather than trying to hide throughout much of the movie, it adds a level of insecurity, particularly when you add in that they’re now interacting with other survivors who have their own methods for avoiding the creatures that are not particularly fun. On the other hand, the monsters can now be killed, so they are less threatening on the whole than they were formerly and the film lacks the subtle nihilism of the last one. The action sequences are a lot bigger in this one, though, to go along with the expanded setting. The use of sound is different in this movie, but it is no less significant, often shifting to Regan’s silent perspective to contrast it with the loud noises everyone else is experiencing.
Overall, decent sequel. Check it out.
The Joker On The Sofa 