A Quiet Place Part II

It is an unavoidable fact that A Quiet Place Part II cannot step into the same river as its phenomenal predecessor. The filmmakers are very well aware of this and thus don’t even try. In terms of plot, the sequel proceeds from what the first film established and then builds on it. The first one worked brilliantly with limited space, inventively imagined the world and its laws and, mainly, worked with sound as a means of expression, drama, storytelling and dramaturgy. Though it still adheres to the basic concept of the series, Part II uses sound to build tension within individual scenes, but the role of the central formalistic medium from which the film’s dramaturgy and narrative are derived is taken over by editing. Throughout the second half of the film, Krasinski maintains the suspense almost exclusively through parallel montages, but he also uses editing to gradually open up the post-apocalyptic world. The editing and, in a broader sense, the composition of the film and what it shows the audience, what it leaves out and what it leaves to the imagination, shows Krasinski to be not only a filmmaker with exquisite command of his craft, but also a creator capable of thinking in cinematic form. This ability elevates his films above the classic genre standard and places them alongside the best horror movies of the new millennium. Most other prominent genre filmmakers, such as Ari Aster, Robert Eggers and Jordan Peele, base their distinctiveness on visual stylisation and the strength of the screenplay. With Krasinski, we see a unique symbiosis of original high concept and the use of essential filmmaking techniques to achieve the maximum effect. Krasinski’s method of ratcheting up the tension reaches its full potential only in the cinema – with surround sound, a big screen and ambient darkness in which 130 people hold their breath all at once – and the sequel also proves to be an exceptionally effective machine for physically intense sensations (though it lacks the wow effect and spatial and conceptual density of the first film). This makes one even more aware of how modestly the filmmakers actually work with scares and, conversely, rely primarily on carefully prepared and escalating situations derived from well-thought-out Hitchcockian construction of the narrative and set design. Though I am generally not a fan of sequels, because they rarely offer anything original, in the case of the A Quiet Place series, I actually hope that a third instalment will be made. I want to see how Krasinski will pick up the gauntlet that he himself has thrown down and what cinematic means of expression he will choose as his weapon of choice. (06/12/2021)

Everything (and actually everyone) we liked last time is back and it's still a great spectacle to watch and hear. The main novelty of A Quiet Place Part II is Cillian Murphy, and he is perhaps the best possible actor that John Krasinski could cast, because it is practically impossible to take your eyes off him, no matter what he does (or doesn't do). The second A Quiet Place is closely related to the first that I felt like I was watching another part of a great series and I enjoyed meeting well-known characters, and during the next, pleasantly sober hour and a half I also learned more about the strange quiet world... The end of the film again clearly points towards the next one, which does not bother me in the slightest. (06/17/2021)

This movie is a very solid sequel which while is mostly just a variation on the theme established by the first installment, it is still very engaging and does not really have dull moments. Cillian Murphy was an excellently chosen addition to the cast. In the end, however, I do have to admit that I was shaking my head in disbelief at some of the behavior of the characters in this movie, even though I could accept their somewhat questionable decisions in the first installment. (07/27/2021)

Although it lacks some of the wow-effect of the first film, A Quiet Place Part II is a worthy continuation of a story in which the slightest noise can have fatal consequences. In many ways, this sequel copies the plot of the first one and borrows functional motifs, but it doesn't get boring and manages to be tense and even scare decently in places. John Krasinski has explained a little bit the appearance and characteristics of the monsters, and I firmly hope that we will see a third part in which this issue would be resolved to the last "shudder". I understand that some viewers may criticize the film for a flatter story without breathtaking plot twists, but once again, it worked for me, especially in the opening with the arrival of the monsters, and just as well in the final interlude of three mini-sequences. PS: If it isn’t a nail, it’s a bear trap. (06/11/2021)

It bothers me a bit that all the plot of the second A Quiet Place stems from the fact that one of the characters comes up with a fairly sensible plan, but instead of thinking it through calmly and discussing it with the others, she immediately sets out to implement it herself, which, of course, sets in motion a number of problems and dangerous situations for herself and the others. It also suffers a bit from the syndrome of the second part of a trilogy (I reckon there’ll be a another sequel), which de facto doesn't begin or end in any way. And ultimately, I could’ve done without those cheap jump scares. Despite all that, however, this is very effective monster horror, and since this is my first cinema experience after ten months of covid misery and suffering, I can't go below a four. (06/11/2021)