THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
A Quiet Place was one of the many hit films that released in the unforgettable year of 2018 due to being highly original within the horror genre. After having a box office success and a shocking cliffhanger, a sequel deserved to happen.
PLOT
The 2021 follow up opens with a flashback (Day 1) showing the Abbott family’s first encounter with the blind extraterrestrials dubbed the 'Death Angels' that track their prey based on their hypersensitive hearing. When they crash landed on Earth, it didn't take too long for them to slaughter the human race. The film then forwards to its present that is Day 474. The remaining members of the family are: Evelyn and her children Regan (who is deaf), Marcus and the newborn son she hasn't named yet. They have successfully killed one creature for the first time after discovering its weakness to be high frequency sounds, that can be made by Regan's hearing aid implant, an amp and a microphone. With their house attacked, they must find new shelter to survive. Other than having a shot gun to defend themselves, they have only one oxygen tank for the baby to survive in its own soundproof box. They move along as they go past the path of sand that was made by the now deceased patriarch Lee. When Evelyn passes through a wired fence with an opening, she accidentally triggers a trip wire that causes glass bottles to jangle. As the family runs, Marcus gets caught in a bear trap and screams in agony. Luckily, Evelyn and Regan are able to kill another Angel before it could kill them. Since the gunshot was loud, another creature isn't that far behind. They continue to run and encounter a friend they knew before the apocalypse, Emmett whose kids died on the first day but his wife died about 11 weeks before this unexpected reunion. Although he helps them hide in a sound proof vault, he suggests that they should leave because he doesn't have enough food or water to share. He only changes his mind when taking notice of the baby. After Marcus gets his wound patched up, Evelyn asks Emmett if he knew the fires across from him were Lee. He replies with a yes but chose not to find him because based on his experience, the survivors he's encountered have changed drastically and doesn't believe they're worth saving. As Marcus browses through sound frequencies, he hears a song for the first time: 'Beyond the Sea' by Bobby Darin. Emmett admits to have been hearing it as well, but thinks nothing of it. Regan does secretly tell her brother of how she looked up the signal and found the source to be played at an island. She believes that if she can get there within a day, she can find the station and use it to transmit the frequency that her implant produces. If she can pull it off, everyone around the world can defend themselves against the aliens. Marcus is against the idea of her leaving because he doesn't want to lose her like they lost their father. She chooses to leave by the next morning because she believes Lee would've done the same. When he notices that she left, he warns her mother and she requests Emmett to bring her back. He does find her in time as she saves her from a Death Angel, but she convinces him to join her to find a boat that'll take them to the island. Evelyn than decides to leave the boys so that she can find more supplies. She does find antibiotics that would be useful for Marcus' wound and spare oxygen tanks for the baby and as she makes her way back, she passes by Beau's memorial and places her wedding ring on the cross, to pay respect to her deceased husband as well. By night, she hasn't returned yet and Marcus decides to scout the factory as he waits for her. When discovering the corpse of Emmett's wife, he gets startled and accidentally makes noise that attracts another Angel. He and the baby hide in the vault, but gets locked in on accident when forgetting to block the latch with a towel. When the creature leaves due to not finding them, both boys must share as much oxygen until the tank is empty. When Evelyn finally returns, she distracts the creature by shooting an oxygen tank, which causes an explosion and sets off the fire sprinklers. She is then able to open the vault and save her sons in time. Emmett and Regan do reach the docks but before they can take a boat, they encounter scavengers who intend to steal from them. However, they are able to get the upper hand by making enough noise that'll summon more Death Angels. As they kill whoever they can, one drowns from the steep water and another remains stuck on another boat. After that happens, the two protagonists board a smaller boat and make their way to the island. Once they arrive, they encounter a colony of survivors who seem to live normally due to their isolation. Emmett does talk to the one who appears to be the leader of the colony (credited as 'Man on Island') who shares that the National Guard put as much as people as possible on islands by boat to avoid the creatures after the discovery that they can't swim. Emmett explains the plan to him, resulting in agreeing to take them to the station by morning. As the sun rises, he discovers that another boat has drifted toward the island. This scares him because it is the exact one that carried a Death Angel. Just as he tries to warn the survivors to hide, the creature attacks. He and Regan join the Man on Island to the station. He gives them the keys to the door that'll get them to the main office with the equipment. But just as he announces his intent to return to his family, he is quickly killed. As that happens, Evelyn and her sons are splitting the oxygen as they hide from the Angel they're dealing with. When she attends to grab the meds, it chases her to the vault, attacking their only shield. At the island, Regan unintentionally makes enough noise to attract her obstacle. Emmett closes the door on her so that she can do what she has to do, resulting in him getting his leg slashed. She succeeds in placing her implant on the station's mic and transmit the frequencies on the speakers. When Marcus hears it on his radio, he plays it out loud to kill an Angel with a pistol. And as Regan kills one with a metal rod/pipe, the film ends with the implant being left on the mic.
THOUGHTS
Despite being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, my hype remained as intact as it was when seeing its first trailer during the New Year of 2020. I missed out on seeing the first film in theaters, but getting the chance to do so with this sequel became a blessing in disguise because I was as blown away as I was before. Director/Writer John Krasinski continues this exciting story and is able to maintain immersive atmosphere he introduced, only to carefully elevate it. As we slowly see the rest of this dystopian world, it's obvious to say that we want more because we keep wondering how others survived differently compared to the Abbotts. The Death Angels remain to be the stuff that nightmares are made of. While they have weaknesses, that doesn't mean they'll be easy to defeat. One thing this one did better was the opening scene. Seeing the first encounter was an 'ask and you shall receive' moment that delivered spectacularly. Even if you have an idea how it'll go, the cinematography by Polly Morgan raises the anxiety you felt before. I did think about the Alien franchise when it came to their portrayal because they are mostly hidden in the predecessor, while this one shows them off a whole lot more. Another improvement here is how most of the suspense relies on how the characters have to be as silent as possible. This time, there is a realistic perspective that not everyone is gonna have the advantage of ASL to avoid making noises. Because of that, the chances of getting caught are higher. As before, we remain onboard due to connecting with characters that are willing to do anything to survive. Through each one of them, we accept the theme on putting your surroundings to good use or your enemies will. Emily Blunt isn't exactly depicted as the main character in this film, yet reminds us that Evelyn is the bravest of her family between the nurture she displays. She just gave birth to a baby and is walking/running about to defend herself when in reality, she'd be bedridden after an experience. Her baby only made her stronger, rather than slowing her down which I think defines many hard working mothers around the world. Since she did get a similar injury as Emmett, I do wonder how capable she can be despite knowing the weakness of the aliens. Noah Jupe puts in a mixed perspective of Marcus. He is just a boy who is still scared of the new world around him, like anyone his age would be. The problem is that he makes the biggest mistake of the film that is scouting the factory, that results to putting his family at risk. The only thing that sweeps it under the rug is how he stops being scared once he has the one weapon that can kill the monsters. Since he killed one of his own, I hope he maintains his newfound confidence that is needed in the environment around him. Millicent Simmonds is the true lead in this film because Regan steps up as the one to figure out how to return things to normal. With her father gone, she knows that no one would do what she does. She may be stubborn than before, but that only made her more determined to do what had to be done. The coolest thing about her is how she uses her disability as an advantage. The fact that she possibly saved the world and was able to slay the beast that killed her dad, you bet your ass he would be proud of her. And if other sane people are out there, I do hope that they can overcome their fears as she did. Going into the new character in this film, Cilian Murphy gives another outstanding performance in the role of Emmett. You can argue that he is the polar opposite of Lee due to how he lost hope after losing his family. He is resourceful and chooses to think when he is cornered, which may not be a smart strategy but works in his case. His reunion with the Abbotts, particularly Regan, helped him regain his confidence because he accepted that his family would've not wanted him to give up. Like Evelyn, I do hope he finds a way to be capable of defending himself due to his injury, as things hopefully return to normal. This sequel is far from terrible, but it has its moments that remind me why the first film is better. The first one I want to get out of the way is how Djimon Hounsou has another wasted performance in a blockbuster as Man on Island. I couldn't enjoy him like I enjoyed Emmett because he doesn't drive the plot as much and I feel like any other actor could've played him and I would've said the same. Which is why I believe the role should've been given to an unknown actor. In all honesty, Scoot McNairy outperformed him as 'Marina Man'. Through not speaking and having a blank expression until he screams in pain, you know that this is a character that went through more hell than the protagonists. Because of that, I hope that one of the follow ups after this get the opportunity to explore the perspective of the scavenger group he was in. Going into the story, did Evelyn ever warn her kids of watching their steps in the basement. She got her foot impaled by a nail and Regan almost stepped into that exact one. I know they were in a rush, but I do hope that she gave caution before they left. It's pretty iconic to the fact that even she makes the same mistake that results in the jangling bottles. I know her backpack was stuck, but come on. Had she done the most simple thing, Marcus would not have his own injury to deal with. Also, does the baby ever have any formula to eat? We don't see him get breastfed, but what gives? Food is just as important as oxygen so again, I hope that this baby is fed during these shenanigans. The weirdest thing I noticed in the opening was how every angle of the town doesn't match up during the different angles they are displayed: The Drop Inn is on the right and a lamp shadow is towards us in the first shot. The next shot shows The Drop Inn is on the left and the lamp shadow is still towards us, when it should be against us at that angle. You know I hate continuity errors, so I had to get that out of my system. My germ phobia kicked in when seeing Lee cut the orange on a bleacher rail. I mean who the hell does that? Hell if aliens didn't kill the human race, than diseases would have like Contagion. It is indeed intense when a Death Angel focuses in on the Drop Inn, but how does that spot have more noise than what was going on outside? It's not like everyone was gonna learn to stop panicking overtime and figure them out like Lee did. There's even a bunch of loud cars that should have distracted the creature from what was in that bar. And lastly, why did Emmett take Regan's equipment without telling her? I bet he had good intentions, but I wish that was explained because that was unnecessary tension. Ignore these flaws, and you'll still enjoy this one. In short, A Quiet Place Part II is a great sequel for raising the suspense and expanding the original lore. If you do love the first film, I do recommend that you watch this film immediately.
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