Most-of-the-time actor John Krasinski did wonders with his directing debut with the horror-thriller A Quiet Place which also starred his wife Emily Blunt. Now he’s back directing (and writing) with three times the budget and the consensus among critics is that he’s followed up with a pretty decent sequel with A Quiet Place Part II.
While Krasinski’s character was killed off by the alien monsters in the first movie he gets to have some onscreen time in the sequel’s opening scene.
Blunt takes the lead in the sequel along with her online screen children played by Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. New faces include characters played by Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou.
After COVID-related delays, A Quiet Place Part II had a theater opening at the end of May and reviews have come in which you can read a sampling of below.
JUDGEMENT
“The notion of what it means to be cinematic is baked into the terrific premise of the A Quiet Place movies. Built around blind monsters who have developed such an attuned sense of hearing they can track victims from even the slightest noise, John Krasinski’s films explore a world where dialogue has to be kept to a minimum, meaning the story can only move forward through image, sound and music. Thriving on this conceit, the first film delivered clever, lean scares, spinning ingenuity within a confined space. This time round, the focus is broadened with diminishing returns, but A Quiet Place Part II still manages to conjure up enough thrills to make it worthwhile.” Ian Freer, empireonline.com
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“Part II isn’t just another horror-thriller sequel. It’s taking an original concept and expanding on it, rather than just recycling what came before, and it joins an elite club that includes The Godfather Part II, Terminator 2, Aliens, and Blade Runner 2049. It’s not lazy, cash-in filmmaking; it extends into the unlikely territory of uplifting, family-based drama.” Michael Clark, The Epoch Times
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“In writing and directing this sequel, Krasinski proves his intelligence and his non-subversive priorities when it comes to being a genre director. He also asserts his talent at orchestrating tense life-or-death scenes with an exciting sense of when to go slow and when to floor it. In its best moments, A Quiet Place Part II reminded me of Steven Spielberg cutting loose with The Lost World: Jurassic Park, letting his beasts rampage through a new environment in a staggering way. Even if this sequel remains firmly in the shadows of the original, I wanted part three as soon as it was over.” Nick Allen, rogerebert.com
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“With its limited dialogue, and action restricted to the most extreme events, details take on an enormous weight. A 3-foot-thick ceiling. A jammed shotgun. A first-aid kit just out of reach (or is it?). A bear trap. A liquor bottle with enough vodka in it to be used as disinfectant. The utility of a working sprinkler system. The inutility of a convertible roof (they’re called “ragtops” for a reason, unfortunately). Krasinski presents these and other such details with lucidity. His direction is so efficient and assured that the three or four rather ridiculous plot elements go unnoticed until well after the movie’s over. That’s how absorbing Part II can be.” Mark Feeney, Boston Globe
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“In the heart-stopping end sequence, three separate experiences of Evelyn, Regan and Marcus are edited together to create 10 minutes of nonstop stress. A third Quiet Place is already in the works, making this sci-fi horror series a trilogy. If that film ends with the destruction of our alien foes, I hope Krasinski can balance such a big move with the intimacy and intelligence that have made his jewel of a series such a standout.” Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
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“Lastly, this film arrives precisely when the majority of the world finally gets a taste of normalcy again. Movie theaters around the country are opening back up, and this DEMANDS to be seen on the biggest of screens, ironically with the boldest and loudest of audio systems. We all need a cathartic release, and no film is currently better suited to scream with your neighbor than A Quiet Place Part II.” Aaron B. Peterson, The Hollywood Outsider
Watch this Rotten Tomatoes interview with Krasinski and the cast of A Quiet Place Part II below.