A Quiet Place Part II

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)

The directing goes for broke in the suspenseful nature of the scenes, as if serving up groundbreaking genre events. But it actually doesn’t offer any such thing (except for the original idea of muting the sound in the case of the deaf girl) and rather takes inspiration from elsewhere (the cinematography showcase in the great opening scene along the lines of Spielberg’s War of the Worlds). The film’s main problem, however, is the even greater contrast between the superb visual execution and the goofiness of the screenplay than in the first film. Part II lacks the basic cleverness and common logic of experienced, thoughtful screenwriters. And by boosting the suspense with interesting visuals enveloped in so much silliness, its makers (unwittingly) confess to their own myopic, would-be creative sophistication, which is almost laughable in places. (08/03/2021)

A datadisc to a good video game. We already know the engine, we know the rules, we know the controls. New missions, new playable characters, new enemies and environments have been added. We don't need to hire a professional for the story, it's all about incorporating the new elements seamlessly. Totally fine. _____ I realized how long it's been since I've seen such cool work with framing, sound, camera movement, and point of view changes in newer genre films, and that's just for the purpose of the spectacle. (09/07/2021)

At some point before the end of the first film, I already felt this world was a bit exhausted and I didn't quite feel the need to return to it. The sequel confirms that feeling, unfortunately. John Krasinski basically repeats what worked last time, and I'm going to believe that it's not because he can't do anything else, but rather because his world doesn't stand on a strong enough foundation on which to build a full-fledged sequel. If, however, you caught the last one before the closing credits and you're in the same boat as me, you're going to get a bit lost in the sequel. Krasinski is very confident in the action scenes, he can also get the atmosphere right and his scares are in the right places, but the whole thing feels somehow unnecessary. Trying to expand the world doesn't lead to anything interesting, Cillian Murphy's character doesn't really work, and trying to split up the protagonists and spread them out over several locations and give each one their own challenge or problem misses the mark too. It's more like Krasinski is chasing minutes and trying to get to the end credits as soon as possible so that the audience doesn't notice that this sequel doesn't make much sense and just varies what the first film impressed with. There really aren't many new ideas here, and I can easily do without the third film. (06/09/2021)

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)