Paramount Pictures
★★★★★
By HOWARD McQUITTER II
A Quiet Place ll is the real deal judging from the stellar original A Quiet Place (2018) which puts us on edge often and with oompah such not to be easily forgotten. Not long ago, my faith in the horror genre stood near nadir, well, at least since the days of John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th (1980), both palatable horror films. But my confidence slowly returns with horror pictures such as the Spanish film The Orphanage (2007), It Follows (2015) and Get Out (2017), all intelligent films.
The second installment of Quiet Place starts off on Day 1, with Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) living, cars going to and fro, electricity is on, American flags rippling in the wind, and boys playing baseball, townspeople drawn out on a sunny summer day. Strange occurrences in the skies interrupt the scene. Creatures attack the town as people run for safety. Fast forward to Day 474 where the original left off to find the Abbotts – Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Marcus (Noah Jupe) with a newborn baby – leave their farm to wander into the hinterland without creating any sound because that’s what alerts the creatures to their whereabouts. But Regan, being deaf (the actress is deaf in real-life), uses sign language which Evelyn and Marcus are adept at, and the creatures can’t hear.
The Abbotts find an abandoned mill where they see a family friend named Emmett (Cillian Murphy, 28 Days Later [2002], Inception [2010], The Dark Knight [2010]) who is not exactly keen on seeing the Abbotts. Emmett sees they have a newborn baby and changes his mind about them staying with him. Emmett realizes they have to try to find other survivors, especially with the help of Regan who insists they can’t turn back with all the danger around them. Emmett and Regan venture to find other people while Evelyn stays behind with the infant and her injured son.
There’s nothing in the movie to give a hint where these ferocious creatures are from. Wherever these beasts are from, they’re bringing havoc on the earthlings. Similar to the fright Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) provides and Byron Haskin’s The War of the Worlds (1953) surprises, suggests that John Krasinski must have studied them. Life is at stake in this dystopian state of the world as the predators from out of nowhere seem to be in control.
Millicent Simmonds, as Regan, steals the show, a witty and methodical thinker who taps into a little technology, which is one of at least two or more Achilles’ heels for the creatures. She’s on to something that will have to wait for the third installment. The third installment, coming in 2023, will not have John Krasinski as director, but will go to Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter [2011], Mud [2012], Loving
[2016], Shotgun Stories [2007], Midnight Special [2016].)
Quiet Place ll is a very enjoyable feature and in all likelihood will get an Oscar nomination for sound next year. (Not uncommon the Black characters don’t survive in the film.) I thought It (2017) to be an excellent horror film. I add both Quiet Place movies to the list of what horror films should be like.
Cast: Emily Blunt (Evelyn Abbott), John Krasinski (Lee Abbott), Millicent Simmonds (Regan Abbott), Cillian Murphy (Emmett), Djimon Hounsou (Man on Island), Zachary Golinger (Emmett’s
Son), Okieriete Onaodowan (Police Officer). Director: John Krasinski.
Running time: 97 minutes. Writer: John Krasinski. Cinematography: Polly Morgan. Music: Marco Beltrami.
