For those that haven’t seen the film, this review is SPOILER FREE

What a difference a year makes. It was over a year ago that we all waited for this film in the theaters. And then the pandemic happened. There’s no better time than now to watch this masterful piece of filmmaking. A Quiet Place Part II is a perfect film to kick off the return to theaters.

First thing’s first, A Quiet Place Part One is one of the best horror films I’ve seen in years. It was terrifying, suspenseful, and emotional. Quite simply, it has great “monsters” and ended perfectly. I wasn’t sure if it was a film that necessarily needed a sequel, but thank god one was made. John Krasinski again returns to direct and write and what he’s done for a follow-up can be summed up in one word: Glorious.

Some Background For A Quiet Place Part II

When we last saw the Abbott family, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her kids Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) just survived a terrifying showdown with revolting, gruesome aliens that attack anything that make any type of sound. This film starts right where the first leaves off, now the Abbott family must venture off from what remains from their home and find a new location to continue their life.

Continuing where her father left off, Regan sets a fire on top of their silo to see if it would signal to anyone in the valley. Miraculously a fire is lit and their journey begins and the film really starts. With newborn baby in tow, Evelyn and hew family start a harrowing, suspenseful journey to find who else could be out there. When they arrive at an abandoned factory they encounter the person starting the smoke signals, a local man named Emmett (Cillian Murphy). We actually see him earlier in the film during a heart pounding sequence where we see what happens during day one, setting the high tension tone for this film.

An Improvement On Everything About The First Film

While the first film only suggested what truly was the aftermath of these creatures killing everything, this film blows that wide open and you see the full destruction. You are barely indoors and when you are, Krasinski has a way that makes everything seem claustrophobic and tense. What makes this film so masterful are the trio of subplots that build to an amazing conclusion.

Regan goes on a harrowing journey to find a radio station, Evelyn must find medical supplies and Marcus must stay and take care of his new born brother all while dealing with the creatures that are still out there. The heart and soul without a doubt is the Regan section of the film. Whereas John Krasinski’s Lee was the focal character of the first film, Simmonds succeeds in being the leading lady you never knew you needed. Krasinski’s directing shines here filling all her scenes with sweeping, impressive, harrowing camera shots mixed in with gorgeous cinematography and a hell of a score from Marco Beltrami.

An Instant Classic

This wouldn’t be a true horror film without the jump scares, and somehow this film doubles the amount from its predecessor. There’s more kills, more creatures, and even more nail biting moments than the first. Krasinski shines in putting all the characters in three separate heart pounding set pieces not once but twice in the film. If you were wondering if John Krasinski would suffer the “sophomore” slump when it came to directing, don’t worry he will surpass any and all your expectations.

A Quiet Place Part II is a bold, beautiful, sweeping, terrifying sequel. Cillian Murphy is at his 28 Days Later best. Blunt, Simmonds, and Jupe deliver shockingly great performances, and with Murphy we get hands down one of the best ensembles in a film so far this year. This film has pulled off what only a few sequels have done before it, surpass its original as a bonified classic. If you needed a film to make you take that next step of going to the movies again, then A Quiet Place Part II should be that film.

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