After a bizarre cloud-like object hurtling towards Earth carrying blind and savage monsters with hypersensitive hearing murdered much of the Earth's population, the only way to survive is to remain quiet.
Days after Evelyn (Emily Blunt) lost her husband Lee (Krasinski), the Abbott family decided to find survivors in this dystopian world.
Evelyn is on her own caring for two young teenagers and a newborn infant. However, not all hope was lost as they found a way to defeat the creatures.
Regan (Millicent Simmonds) discovers that high-frequency audio feedback renders the monsters susceptible, so she devises a rudimentary method of transferring the sounds from her cochlear implant via a handheld microphone.
Carrying this knowledge, the family decided to search for survivors. But when they enter a restricted area, Marcus (Noah Jupe) steps into a bear trap, severely wounding his foot and attracting the creature's attention. That's when they ran into Evelyn and Lee's old pal Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who had been sheltering in an underground refuge. Though unlike the Abbott’s, he is uninterested in having any company.
"A Quiet Place: Part 2" was an entertaining sequel, to say the least. It is very different from the previous, harnessing more of its positives to further deepen the narrative. Even though it is successful in allowing fans to delve further into the Abbott family's history and future, there are a number of factors that prevent it from being better than the first.
For one thing, Emmett is an exact clone of Lee. They are both survivalists who are willing to put themselves in danger to defend others; self-sacrificial heroes. Although Cillian Murphy is a wonderful addition to the franchise, his character is a stumbling block that prevents the film's real hero from shining.
People with disabilities are usually intriguing characters in any given movie, and amid a sea of horror movie characters, Regan stands out for being deaf and dealing against these deadly creatures on her own. She is a complex character as she carries with her a lot of emotional baggage, yet she perseveres.
However, Emmett's presence prevents her from growing any further. We have another individual who will "defend" her from these beasts. But would it be more interesting if Krasinski let Regan forge her own path without the presence of another man? Would it be nicer if the audience would see her overcome her weaknesses on her own?
The creatures feels weaker and lousier as well. They are not as terrifying as before. This might be because the movie already exposes their weakness, the audience already know that they can be defeated. It generally sucked all the tension and fear away. If only Krasinski came up with an interesting way to shift the power balance to the villain, the viewer's might've cared more about the narrative.
It's also a letdown that the film isn't entirely centered on the Abbott family and how they're dealing without Lee. Instead, it becomes a 97-minute film with a meaningless storyline, inorganic tension, conflicts, and issues.
The writing, on the other hand, shows realistic scenarios of how young teens might respond in these situations. Krasinski's directing and pacing are also excellent. And as usual, the sound design, as well as the performances, are outstanding. Essentially, it maintains all of the technical excellence of its predecessor.
In essence, the sequel did not feel essential at all; it has a plot, but it is not anything that could have elevated the franchise to a higher level. It's your standard monster movie, with no innovation or anything fresh to give to the audience.
