A Quiet Place 2 (2020) Review

Sneaking out in 2018 no one knew the impact A Quiet Place would have or the huge following it would gain. After its release the word spread like wildfire with people shouting online and out loud until it became THE horror everyone had to see.

Unfortunately for me, when mass hysteria surrounds any movie it makes me want to avoid it like the plague. For better or worse, a lifetime of over-hyped disappointments has left me jaded to anything that receives widespread public approval, meaning it was a couple of years before I actually watched A Quiet Place and got to finally see what all the fuss was about.

I have to admit, the Sci-Horror blew me away and somehow more than exceeded my still inflated expectations. A near perfect horror film, A Quiet Place totally deserved the raving reviews it gained and I am glad to report its follow up A Quiet Place 2 is equally as amazing.

In fact I am very glad I did see the original before the sequel as the two films really form one whole narrative, functioning more like two chapters in the same tale than two separate entities.

Without seeing A Quiet Place the plot of part two would make no sense at all, therefore for the purpose of this review I will treat the reader as if they have seen it, and if you haven’t… then seriously, what are you waiting for?

Opening with a shocking and spectacular return to Day 1 of the alien invasion, we join the Abbott family which includes husband and wife Lee and Evelyn (played by real life acting couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) and their three children at a little league baseball game where they bump into neighbour, Emmet (Cillian Murphy) and his kids.

The peaceful game is interrupted by a strange fire in the sky, but as the small town folks worriedly retreat to their cars and head home, the mild disturbance turns into all-out panic as a horde of terrifying extra terrestrials start tearing through the streets, slaughtering the inhabitants causing carnage and chaos.

Having witnessed the past we jump to the present, and Day 474 which takes place seconds after the climax of the first film. Having lost their youngest brother and their father to the vicious monsters, Evelyn and her remaining children Regan and Noah (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) plus their newborn sibling strive to survive, but with their home destroyed they must head out and find a new place to stay.

Seeing a fire across the hills they seek out the source and come across an old steel foundry that seems like it is occupied, a suspicion proven when Noah steps in a deliberately placed bear trap, severing his leg and summoning the hungry alien creatures who hunt with their hypersensitive hearing.

Saved by the lone inhabitant of the foundry, who turns out to be Emmet, the Abbott’s pleas to stay with him fall on deaf ears due to the depressed and despondent state the widowed and now childless man has sunk into. He is lost since losing everything he loved to the harsh and insane world they all inhabit.

One slim ray of hope remains however, when an old radio starts picking up the song ‘Beyond the Sea.’ Regan believes it to be a signn not only of other humans living in a safe haven away from the misery, but also an opportunity to utilise her secret weapon against the seemingly unstoppable creatures. Deaf from birth she discovered that her cochlear implant when combined with a portable microphone causes feedback that weakens the monsters and makes them easier to kill.

Determined to honour her father and spread her discovery to save what remains of humanity, she heads out alone in search of the location of the radio signal beginning a journey of discovery and redemption that will force everyone to confront their worst fears.

Starting out in the familiar surroundings of the first film, A Quiet Place 2 takes us further afield, offering up the good and bad in this post apocalyptic world. Elements of this are very interesting, especially as we make our way to the cathartic climax. However, the movie sadly turns to horror cliches, all be it briefly, to show the savage side of humanity which seems like a lazy move in a film so full of originality.

That said, there is much more to commend than complain about in A Quiet Place 2. Writer, producer, and director John Krasinski, who was previously best known as a comedy actor and little else, does an exceptional job behind the camera. The film flies along keeping up the tension which was so expertly crafted in the first film – where even the smallest sound means instant death.

Wickedly tapping into the pain every parent feels while they are desperately trying to protect their children, the sequel goes further than its predecessor, using Emmet to show what happens when you fail to save your family. Cillian Murphy plays the lonely and distraught man whose soul is in tatters wonderfully well, drawing out his dark side but still allowing enough room for the optimistic and strong willed Regan to inspire something inside of him.

In the plucky young teenager’s quest and her brother’s own brutal battles we see another strand of the story exposing how, in a world as harsh and unforgiving as this, growing up must happen fast. Running a gamut of emotions, both child actors are excellent especially Millicent Simmonds who as a deaf actress communicating mainly in American Sign Language gives visibility and representation to a community often overlooked in cinema.

Taking everything that made the first film so frightening and expanding on the story, characters and the world around them all, A Quiet Place 2 is a sensational sequel giving the audience exactly what they want and more. With some truly nerve-shredding moments Krasinski has created a film about responsibility, sacrifice and growing up that just happens to feature giant, blind, man-eating monsters from space – and that is no mean feat.

Download & Keep now and get A Quite Place 2 on 4K Ultra HD+Blu-ray™, Blu-ray™ & DVD from the 30th August.

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