A Quiet Place 2 | Film Review
A Quiet Place 2
Genre: Horror | Audience Rating: PG-13
My Rating: A
As a lover of movies with horror, thrill, and suspense, I’ve been waiting for this sequel for two years. I had loved the first movie, but I was worried that the entire franchise would be ruined with this next chapter. Luckily, the movie was not a flop – it left me terrified, in a good way.
A Quiet Place 2 is the sequel to the first movie, A Quiet Place. In order to understand and enjoy the second film, it’s critical to have watched the first one. But once having done that, I highly recommend it. I know not all of us are horror movie fans, but A Quiet Place 2 doesn’t put monsters and blood and gore within the spotlight. The main focus is people – the family. We watch the main characters grow, and the decisions they make prompt us to think about what we would do if we were in the same situation. Unlike many horror movies, there are no incredibly “wrong” or “bad” decisions made by the characters. Just different actions that prioritize different things. It makes us ponder our own priorities.
In an interview, the director John Krasinski said that one of his priorities when writing this movie was to give the audience more background knowledge on the monsters of the film. He did this successfully, without some cheesy or lame plot twist. All the information divulged in this sequel was well-placed and well-thought out. When key pieces of information were revealed, it was a blast to think back to the little snip-bits of foreshadowing I had completely missed.
Even if you have your eyes glued to the screen and catch every single hint, the cast and sound editing (which won the first film an Academy Award) will have you enthralled. Emily Blunt, one of the main female leads had previously won a SAG award in the original A Quiet Place for her performance, and she holds up incredibly well in this sequel. She delivers raw, real emotion. Child actress Millicent Simmons won many awards as well after A Quiet Place, and seeing her play an even larger role in this film makes me believe there will be many more to come. With the help of the incredible sound editing, the movie becomes an immersive, fear-inducing experience – you forget you’re only watching a screen.
Lastly, I must touch on the graphics and shooting. The shots and visuals flow so naturally, it’s hard not to feel as if you are the one being chased by the monster. Filmed in beautiful Western New York, the scenic views make you almost feel at peace... until you’re suddenly pulled into another life or death situation.
Overall, I give this film an A. It is exactly what it’s advertised to be: a horror sequel that focuses on people and what they have to do to survive. It lives up to all its promises and is extremely entertaining, with all the right amount of probing, contemplative scenes. Even to those who are not a fan or horror, I would still recommend it. The focus on how humans behave when confronted with an apocalypse can really resonate with us and make us think about how we are approaching our own real-life ‘apocalypse’: the global pandemic.
I can’t stay quiet about this movie. Go find a place to see it!
