Editor’s Note: David wrote this review after the original March 8, 2020, NYC screening of A Quiet Place Part II. We’ve updated it for 2021. We’re so happy you can finally read it.
Two years ago, John Krasinksi gave us one of the decade’s most tense cinematic experiences. A Quiet Place brought to light a new great filmmaker in horror and one of the genre’s best films of the decade. Outside of Hereditary and Get Out, there was no better horror film in the 2010s. As the 2020s arrive, Krasinski has done it again with the release of A Quiet Place Part II. Here, John Krasinski crafts a masterclass in suspense with Hitchcockian anxiety that would make the master proud.
A Quiet Place Part II kicks off on day 1, where everyone’s lives changed forever. While strange to some that the film would kick off with a prologue of past events rather than jump into the current circumstances, the setup is incredibly useful as it not only has easter eggs as homages to the first film but also sets up the eventual development of folks we run into later in the movie.
While there is a bit more dialogue in this film than the first, A Quiet Place Part II works best when it follows suit with its predecessor and remains silent. I doubted Krasinski would be able to create tension as he did in the first. However, there are situations that arise throughout the film that are jaw-dropping. From his call back to the stairs from the first film to the removal of an earpiece, the tension and suspense will be hard to replicate in 2020.
Although less focused on her character in this sequel, Emily Blunt is once again her brilliant self as Evelyn as she copes with her husband’s death and keeping her children safe. Speaking of her children, while part 1 equally focused on the family, the sequel shines a light on both Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds), who are sensational in the film. 2019 was Jupe’s breakout year with his role in Honey Boy, and he continues the trend in Part II. Jupe’s growth from the first film is on full display, along with raw emotion throughout the heartaches and pain he goes through in the movie. Jupe’s star is rising, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the young actor.
Along with Jupe, Millicent Simmonds is the real stand-out of the film. Not only was her performance fantastic, but as I was watching the movie, I could not help to think, we have a young “Ripley” (Alien) on our hands. Simmonds is both savvy, witty, intelligent, and at times hilarious. Krasinki’s choice to move away from Blunt’s Evelyn and focus more on the children paid off.
The introduction of Cillian Murphy’s Emmett was welcomed as he shined in a role I assumed would be fodder. It turned out to be emotional for a man who had lost everything. Murphy’s best performance in quite a while.
The technical aspects of this film can’t be ignored as once again its production design, cinematography, and, most importantly, score are breathtaking. Composer Marco Beltrami once again captures every tense moment beautifully with the best score of 2021.
Despite the slow start for the horror genre in 2020, A Quiet Place Part II reminds all cinephiles that we are in the golden age of horror. John Krasinki joins Jordan Peele as two of the best horror directors around. It’s hard to deny that despite his hesitance to bring a sequel to life, he did everything right here making it one of the best films of 2021.
A Quiet Place II releases on May 28, 2021, in theaters and 45 days later on Paramount+.
