When 2018's A Quiet Place became one of the most successful original films of the decade, as well as a critical genre darling and award nominee, a sequel was all but guaranteed. With John Krasinski back on board to write and direct, with his cast returning too, can A Quiet Place make a noise amongst audiences that rivals the first?
Now with the knowledge that high-frequency audio feedback can incapacitate the creatures that have killed off much of Earth's population, the remaining members of the Abbott family search for survivors, determined to use their findings to save others - despite facing new problems of their own. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe return, with Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounson joining the cast of the sequel.
Picking up directly after the events of the first film, A Quiet Place: Part II is a solid if somewhat unnecessary new entry into what has supposedly been developed as a trilogy. Penned by Krasinski, this time on his own, the film adheres to the same formula as A Quiet Place, which is both a help and a hindrance; while the tried-and-tested beats are a proven success, they mostly fail to land with the same success, surprise and excitement that they did the first time round, and a result the film doesn't feel as fresh as it could have.
Thankfully, Krasinski's direction maintains the same high standards of the first, and the craft elements continue to propel the film to great heights. With the well-crafted soundscape operating as the strongest source of intensity and horror, Part II does an excellent job of again assimilating audiences into the world, working to increase their engagement in the events as they unfold on screen. The short time it spends exploring the alien's arrival in the pre-title sequence is one of the film's strongest moments, a slickly-directed and heart-stopping 10 minutes that begins the film on terrific footing, and a second act highlight that smartly mirrors events builds to a stunningly suspenseful climax.
Emily Blunt is reliably great as the Abbott matriarch and provides the film with most of the emotional weight - but by expanding the world beyond the film unit, the themes she carried so powerful aren't as meaningfully developed or continued this time round. Focused more squarely on Millicent Simmons this time round, she more than steps up to the plate with a committed turn that continues to offer a new filmmaking perspective that is so engaging. Spending most of her screen time with Cillian Murphy, the pair form a terrific chemistry and the relationship they develop over the course of the runtime carries it through. Unfortunately, the talented Noah Jupe is under-utilised, which is possibly the biggest misstep of the feature.
A Quiet Place: Part II is another solid genre film but by providing more of the same, and without the surprise and focus of the first film, it doesn't reach the incredibly heights of the first film. All the elements are in place, from the superb craft elements, intense direction and strong cast performances, but by the time the credits have rolled on Part II, we're not in a particularly different place than we were when the film started. It is a little disappointing that A Quiet Place: Part II couldn't push itself a little further, but it's by no means a bad film - and additional proof, in case you were in doubt, that the cinema experience is the best.