A Quiet Place Part II
Synopsis
Being quiet may not be the only way to survive in John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II. But first, a quick recap of Part I. Several months ago, blind and monstrous aliens with supreme hearing landed on Earth and preceded to kill any living thing that made a sound. The Abbott family lived safely – albeit temporarily – together on a farm, where they took all of the necessary precautions to live silently. There was the father, Lee (John Krasinski); the mother, Evelyn (Emily Blunt); and their two children, Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds), the latter of whom was deaf. Unfortunately, their home was eventually discovered by some aliens. By the end of the film, Lee sacrificed himself for his children’s safety, Evelyn gave birth, and Regan found a way to use her hearing aid to fight off the aliens. Their home now compromised, the family of four begins their trek into the treacherous surrounding territory in the hopes of coming across other survivors. Shortly after meeting ragged survivor Emmett (Cillian Murphy), the family members split up. Each of them must overcome their own series of challenges, both extraterrestrial and domestic in nature. And if they hope to survive, they’ll have to become more resilient and place their faith in others.
Analysis
Sound is effectively used in this film to create tension and immerse the audience in this world’s terror. The fact that the monsters are hyper-aware of sound makes watching every character move a nail-biting experience. The viewer becomes paranoid whenever someone does something potentially loud because the slightest mistake could cause their doom. So characters doing the simplest of tasks like walking around and opening doors put me at the edge of my seat. People having to traverse various cramped environments littered with objects only adds to the suspense. Single-shot takes are used during such scenes to make the viewer scan for potential noise hazards and afraid that someone will make a sound. There are also single-shot scenes in which we follow Regan where, to reflect how she perceives the world, we can’t hear anything. This technique creates an immersive experience by putting us in the same shoes as Regan and making us feel incredibly vulnerable. We don’t know how much sound Regan is making and can’t listen for nearby danger, which dramatically increases our anxiety. When we see a creature silently come into view that Regan isn’t aware of, we can’t help but pray that she doesn’t make a single sound. And when sound is introduced, it’s a shock to the system because the film has conditioned us to associate noise with danger. Viewers’ hearts thus pound as characters desperately prepare for the inevitable arrival of aliens, and the propulsive score that accompanies these scenes adds to an overall sense of dread.
While a lot of attention is paid to building tension, I appreciated how action-packed the movie was. Many scenes start with a lot of suspense and end on an exhilarating action beat. Such sequences range from characters scrambling through a coal plant to a high-stakes car chase to fighting off an alien in a radio station. And you’ll definitely be in the mood to cheer when a character kills an alien. So rather than having sequences that just end with a fizzle or jump scare, the injection of action provides a satisfying payoff to every tense moment. The action also never felt dull either; both the location and flavor of action featured made each sequence unique. Because there was always an element of danger present, there were no throw-away action sequences either, and each one helped progress the story.
I also wanted to draw attention to the performances of Jupe and Simmonds. While Krasinski and Blunt carried the first movie, Jupe and Simmonds helm the majority of the second excellently. From Marcus, we can clearly understand how much the events of the first movie have traumatized him. His first response to almost everything is to hesitate, cower in fear, or desperately plead with others. This world has broken him, and Jupe’s performance reads as a genuine display of vulnerability rather than overdramatic. As for Regan, the first film’s events have made her more daring and resilient, but her self-assuredness gives way to fear when confronted with danger. Simmonds delivers her performance primarily through emoting, and she says so much purely through facial expressions and the tone of her signing. Because she is the character that the audience follows most often throughout the film, being able to relate to her makes us more emotionally invested in Regan. I was also interested in how the two children’s separate stories mirrored each other both visually and thematically. [***SPOILER WARNING***] By the end, it was satisfying to see how much they had matured to face a dangerous world head-on.
All that being said, the movie is certainly not without its flaws. For one, it’s rife with plot holes. Second, characters who may have previously demonstrated their superb survivor skills will suddenly act irrationally. While a suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy a film like this, it’s still surprising to encounter characters with almost impenetrable plot armor. Finally, while I really liked following along with Regan, I didn’t get to spend that much time with Marcus and therefore wasn’t as invested in his arc.
Conclusion
All in all, A Quiet Place Part II is an excellent follow-up to the original. The film effectively uses sound, well-paced action, and notable performances from Jupe and Simmonds to its advantage. While it’s not immune from the typical tropes of a Hollywood thriller, it’s certainly worth the rental price. Just make sure to eat your popcorn quietly.