MMT Quick Review of A QUIET PLACE PART II

When “A Quiet Place” premiered back in 2018, this site was on hiatus due to my cancer battle and subsequent chemotherapy treatment. I already have a compromised immune system due to MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and the chemo made it almost impossible to safely go out – so I (mostly) stopped going to advance screenings in public spaces for about a year. But it was the 2018 original film, along with “Black Panther” and unfortunately Tyler Perry’s “Acrimony” (I wanted to support Taraji P. Henson) that I went to more empty than not theaters in the early daytime to see.

Thankfully, and much to my expectation, “A Quiet Place” far from disappointed. So, when it was announced that they were making “A Quiet Place Part II” I was ecstatic, then bummed when its opening kept getting pushed due to the pandemic.

But the movie was finally released today, and I was game to venture out earlier this week (with a limited theater of 60 other folk, great social distancing and mask enforcement) to screen it. I can summarize my thoughts in one sentence, although I will elaborate, it also doesn’t disappoint and ups the ante from the first installment.

Part II finds the Abbott family, what’s left of them, immediately after the events of part one. But first, the film opens with a flashback to the day of the sight disabled, aural dependent aliens’ initial landing – where we find the entire Abbott clan heading to and interacting at Marcus’s (Noah Jupe) softball game. We don’t yet know Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is with child, it’s clear that daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) has a hearing loss from her use of ASL, and Lee Abbott (John Krasinki) reprises his role as the doting father and caretaker of his brood.

The family then attempts, with the rest of the attending town members and those in the nearby vicinity, to escape and find some sort of safety from the alien attack. It then jumps to the immediate aftermath of the first’s conclusion before the thrilling journey of part II resumes.

A short and fast-paced ride at 1 hr. and 37 minutes, “A Quiet Place Part II” wastes no time getting to the nitty gritty and keeps the audience on the edge of its seat almost the entire time.

It also cleverly puts Marcus and Regan front and center this time around, and greatly alludes to the continuation of the series – with a possibly younger lead – at its conclusion (but no spoilers so I’ll leave that there).

Calling this a great popcorn watch is a huge understatement. If you enjoyed the first movie, you will definitely like the story continuation in this one, and the jumps and scares are plenty and not so predictable.

Unlike the first, and because we knew the stakes already, the audience I viewed with didn’t try to “keep silent” to “help out” the fictional characters (which was hilarious to witness), but we certainly rooted for them to win and overcome the harrowing scenarios.

It was still one of the best theater experiences I’ve had watching a film, much like with its predecessor. I rate it 4 out of 5 beats on the MMTrometer.

“A Quiet Place Part II” opened in theaters today, May 28.

Until next thought, Thomasena