A Quiet Place Part II is intense and pulse-pounding. It wastes no time getting straight to the action. The second installment is less gut-wrenching than the first but it certainly isn’t any less thrilling. If you haven’t seen the original since its release, it may be advisable to revisit before jumping into the second. And if you haven’t seen the first at all, you’ll definitely want to check it out before watching A Quiet Place Part II. The film presupposes that you are familiar with what transpired in the original.
A Quiet Place Part II picks up shortly after the events of the first film and sees the Abbott family continuing their quest for survival in a world overrun with violent creatures that hunt by sound. Daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) takes center stage, this time around, as she attempts to get a leg up against the malevolent monsters that lay in wait.
A Quiet Place II is a continuation of the original story but it’s not just more of the same. It doesn’t merely rehash what we’ve already seen. It makes a case for its existence by expanding the narrative from the series’ first installment and putting the returning cast through a new set of harrowing situations.
Director John Krasinski (again) proves that he has a keen understanding of how to build tension and scare the living sh*t out of his audience when they are least expecting it. The film is rife with nail-biting tension and effectively-executed jump scares. The sequences where we switch to Regan’s perspective are so jarring and stylistically on point. The switch to total silence puts you right into the her headspace (Regan is hearing impaired) and helps the audience see from her perspective. During those scenes, I felt like I was navigating the film’s landscape through her eyes.
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The performances are raw and real. Millicent Simmonds kills as Regan. She appears to have no problem stepping into the lead role and she serves as a capable and resourceful protagonist. Her desire to protect the lives of her family and fellow survivors paints her as selfless and makes the character easy to get behind.
As for the film’s home video release, it contains a bevy of special features. One that really stands out is the ‘director’s diary’ featurette with John Krasinski. It was a pleasure to get into his head and see the way he interacts with his team and gain some insight into his creative process.
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Another standout was the featurette on Regan. Millicent Simmonds, who plays her is phenomenal and it’s a pleasure to see the young thespian elaborate on what went into bringing Millie to life and expound upon carrying much of the picture on her shoulders this time around.
The picture and sound are brilliant on the home video release. The 4K transfer is crisp and clean. If you weren’t able to experience this sequel during its theatrical bow, watching the 4K Ultra HD version at home with total silence and all the lights out is a nice alternative to that. A Quiet Place Part II is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD.
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