Jake DeSimone
Staff Writer
Back in April of 2018, John Krasinski released A Quiet Place, a unique horror film making use of sound, or lack thereof. It was an immediate hit, and fans were desperate for more. Now, after three years of waiting, Krasinski released A Quiet Place 2. However, has it lived up to its expectations as a sequel?
A Quiet Place was and still is regarded as one of the most distinctive horror films of the past decade. When the movie was first announced, many thought it would be a generic thriller making use of the recycled trope of “Be quiet, or the monsters will hear you.” While A Quiet Place did use this concept, Krasinski amplified it to a level never seen before in the film industry, and it was well-received.
The movie broke long-standing records and grossed an incredible $50 million worldwide within the first week. As the ending scene of the movie was not a cliffhanger, fans were happy with theorizing how events would play out in the cinematic world. However, unbeknownst to them, Paramount Pictures had already begun planning for a second movie.
In March of 2020, the television company announced the premiere of A Quiet Place 2 was soon to come. This took many by surprise. Now, with the prospect of a sequel of the same caliber as its predecessor being released, movie fans were more restless than ever. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Paramount Pictures to delay the movie’s release until May 28 of 2021.
Upon its release, fans flooded the theaters. Once again, records were broken as the film grossed more money in its first weekend in theaters than any other movie released during the pandemic. Unfortunately, its booming success would not be maintained as more and more people watched the movie.
When I was thinking about what to rate A Quiet Place 2, I kept in mind that it was meant to build upon the world and plot and compared its quality to that of the original. In the end, I chose to rate A Quiet Place 2 at 2.5 stars out of 5. While some may say this is overly critical, I would have to disagree. The lacking plot advancements and character development in A Quiet Place 2 outweigh the pros of the movie, hence the unexpected rating.
The movie follows the Abbott family who, after the sacrifice of their father and discovering the methodology to kill the monsters of the film known as The Death Angels, are traveling the country in search of other people. During their trek, Marcus’ (Noah Jupe) foot becomes ensnared in a bear trap, and they need to reside in an abandoned warehouse. It is here where they find their old friend Emmett, played by Cillian Murphy. Eventually, after Regan (Millicent Simmonds) decodes a song with the location of a safe area, she and Emmett depart for this untainted island.
As they make their way towards this island, Marcus’s mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) leaves the warehouse to get medical supplies for his leg. Here, we begin to see two stories unfold at once: the tribulations Regan and Emmett face attempting to reach the island as well as Marcus’s unfortunate encounter with a Death Angel. In the end, the movie concludes similarly to the first, with both Marcus and Regan taking down a Death Angel, and the Abbott family no longer facing these monsters by themselves.
The biggest takeaway from this movie is that there wasn’t much development in terms of plot. At the end of the first movie, fans had already surmised that the Abbott family would find other people and share the secret to killing the Death Angels with them. A Quiet Place 2 left thousands feeling let down, as everything that transpired was already theorized by them. While Paramount Pictures could have made use of a plot twist, they chose not to do so, and instead reused the same practices from the first movie.
I would recommend this movie to those who simply want to watch a thriller for those immediate feelings of frightfulness and suspense. Much like its predecessor, A Quiet Place 2 makes incredible use of sound effects and lighting to give off that “scary” effect that many seek when watching a horror movie. Although, if you are someone who likes to focus on the bigger picture in movies, I wouldn’t recommend this movie to you.
Unfortunately, I and many other movie critics across the globe think that A Quiet Place 2 was too lackluster, and the original concepts that were shown in the first movie were simply reused in the second. Paramount Pictures received backlash from fans for the quality of the movie, and Krasinski has stepped down from his position and will not be directing A Quiet Place 3. As the saying goes, “Don’t milk the cow too much. She will kick you.”
Photo Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
