A Quiet Place II

A good sequel, which is a rarity!

This one seemed slow at times, but the opening scene of Day 1 of the invasion, and the crazy intensity of everything at about the one-hour mark made for quite the stressful viewing, much like the original! Good ending too! I'm not clamoring for a third, but I'd watch it if they made it!

If nothing else, I'm primarily impressed with how these films seem like a cinematic franchise built out of the raptors in the kitchen sequence from Jurassic Park. This is the very rare sequel that at the very least is equal to what came before and it reminded me how much I missed going to the movies.

The good: The film in of itself, is well made - everything from cinematography to lighting, sound, action, pacing etc. Big props for that. And of course the acting from the leads (including the younger actors) is excellent. I also like the way the 'passing of the torch' is shot - clearly defined parallels are drawn that make it easy to see the directors vision.

The bad: Probably it's biggest criticism is just how close it is to the 1st part. Whilst containing less of what made the first one special. This film is definitely more action - so it's not a complete replica, but the story beats and plotting are basically the same - hide from aliens, get supplies, escape from or stop aliens, : rinse and repeat.

Should you watch it: If you like the first one, absolutely. It's a well constructed film that moves at a quick pace (almost over too quickly). A solid horror action flick. Recommended.

.......and if you enjoyed the first one then you'll certainly enjoy this one too.

Most sequels that flop tend to do so because the powers that be think the audience simply want exponentially more of the same thing that was in the original. More bad guys, more explosions, much, much more of everything. Except story and depth and character development.

A Quiet Place II, thankfully, doesn't fall into that trap. It starts almost exactly where it left off. Right at the point in fact, where we were left wanting to see more in the first film. Then it simply and effectively expands on the original.

Overall I rate it as good as the first instalment, if not marginally better in places. If it has any fault at all, it's in the runtime which, IMHO, is a tad short. We definitely wanted to see more though and who knows, maybe there'll be a third one? Let's hope so.

This one picks up where the first one ended. There is a small backstory about the first day the creatures landed on earth. Director John Krasinski builds suspense through pacing, a slow buildup to when someone, as careful as they are, inevitably makes a loud noise that unleashes the slaughter. Krasinski likes to use wide angle shots of people running for their lives as the monsters fly into the frame. Silence is followed by a cacophony of screams.

We see more of the creatures this time, a sort of reptilian extraterrestrial concoction. Newcomer Cillian Murphy plays a survivalist who has lost everything. But the strength of the first A Quiet Place, as with the sequel, are the emotional, powerful performances from Emily Blunt, and her onscreen children, played by Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. Simmonds especially, blends courage and compassion, garnering our support, so that she becomes the hero.

The ending leaves the door open to a third installment.