Review Roundup: “A Quiet Place Part II” Joyously Shreds Your Nerves
We’re a mere week away from the May 28 release of John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II, and the reviews are already coming in. There’s mostly only good news here—Krasinski has, according to critics, matured as a director, and his cast and crew help him deliver the goods. It wasn’t going to be an easy feat—it never is when you’re following up a surprise, critical and commercial smash like his 2018 original film—but Krasinski and his team have managed to deliver a satisfying, terrifying sequel.
By now you likely know the gist of what Part II gets up to, but just in case, here’s a very pared-down summation—the Abbott family, sans dearly departed father Lee (Krasinski) head out into the larger world in search of fellow survivors and a new place to call home. Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe), and the baby have no choice but to leave their cabin (it was destroyed at the end of the first film by the sound-hunting aliens) and see what, and who, might be out there. They end up finding survivors like Cillian Murphy’s Emmett, but as is always the case, people prove just as dangerous as any predators.
So, what precisely are the critics saying? Here’s a brief review roundup, spoiler-free:
“Krasinski has not at all let up on the thrills and chills and alien-centric terror, but he’s also bulked up on the drama, emotion, and very human pain at its center,” says Kate Erbland of IndieWire. She also adds: “His ability to direct stunning, action-driven set pieces on par with any other blockbuster has grown, [and] so too has Krasinski’s initial motivation: to make a movie for his family.”
“It’s another breathless chamber piece, expertly crafted to pack dread into every nerve-rattling sound,” says The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney.
“Part II earns the promise of a sequel by doing what the best sequels do, striking out in search of new stories instead of settling for retracing its steps,” says Mashable‘s Angie Han.
“Dual storylines are wrapped up together ingeniously… What is interesting about this film is that it quite persuasively shows us a post-post-apocalyptic situation,” writes the Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw.
“Blunt and Murphy convey volumes with just their eyes, and they’re matched by Jupe and Simmonds, two of contemporary film’s most empathetic and insightful actors of any age,” writes The Wrap‘s Alonso Duralde.
And in a quite interesting take, Lindsey Bahr of the AP writes, “The reason these films work is not because of the scares. They work because, at their heart, they are a high concept meditation on parenting.”
Here’s the official synopsis from Paramount:
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
For more on A Quiet Place Part II, check out these stories:
The “A Quiet Place Part II” Cast Talk Tension & Terror in New Video
“A Quiet Place Part II” Photos Reveal Ambitious Scope of Sequel
Behold The Final Trailer for “A Quiet Place Part II”
“A Quiet Place Part II” Drops New Teaser Ahead of Final Trailer
Featured image: Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) brave the unknown in “A Quiet Place Part II.” Photo by Jonny Cournoyer. Courtesy Paramount Pictures.
