A Quiet Place Part II

Returning to the movie theater never felt so good. A dark, empty room filled with rows of comfortable chairs, the smell of popcorn rising in the air. Complete silence as the opening shot projects onto the massive screen. Like a seal being released back into the wild, I finally returned to my instincts as I found my way home. And the best part? I was able to experience it with my friends.

Did my reacquainting with the cinema skew my perception of A Quiet Place Part II? Yes. Do I care? No, because this film deserves to be heard in the set up of a massive room with the best speakers. The sound design draws out the tension in all the right moments, pulling the air so thin until it snaps. The execution of this world’s horrors is perfected in the opening scene. Any future sequels will never be able to recreate the gut feeling that “Day 1” creates; the hidden clues and payoffs constantly snowball, and when the avalanche takes over, each beat knocks you out of your seat. There are a few too many jump scares, but the buildups are genuine and the creatures act in a way that the scares make sense. I am the kind of guy that plugs my ears when I know a loud noise is coming, and I will admit some of the scares were pretty clever in how and when they showed up, keeping me always on edge.

With great scares comes a great viewing experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey every step of the way, but then the journey suddenly stopped. Not ended, but stopped. The credits came on screen at the highest point of the film, leaving me shocked. There was no resolution or time to breathe. As soon as the climax happened I found myself leaving the theater. I was confused and excited but also left wanting more. The third film was just announced to be released in 2023, making this series a trilogy, but this film by itself did not feel like a film at all, nor did it feel like part of a trilogy. It felt like the second to last episode of a Netflix series. It left a bad taste in my mouth even though I enjoyed everything leading up to it.

Which also points to the only problem of this film’s story with a glaring clarity: it wants to get to the climax so much that it is willing to risk any emotional beat to fit inside the 90-minute runtime. Any subplot that is briefly mentioned has little to no follow up, and the main story is just a road trip story that only takes two days to complete. The themes established by Cillian Murphy’s character are never further committed. Even when there is a perfect scene for it to happen, it is never addressed afterwards. Also, the son—who was one of the main characters in the last film—has nothing to do this time, so he limps around and gets into trouble for no actual reason. The script somehow seems to fall apart in your hands the more you flip through it. There’s no true subtext to be found. It is just a compilation of action set pieces. Enjoyable, but short lived without a half life.

Overall, this film has enough thrills and monsters to pull you back into the movie theater, but if you go in expecting to leave with some emotional conclusion, you will leave disappointed. I really enjoyed watching something on the big screen again; I fully believe it is a part of film that should not be lost in the evolution of entertainment. Watching even a simple horror flick on the big screen brings out the small details with color, scale and especially sound. With A Quiet Place Part II, the cinematography is great, the sound design is spectacular—especially when focused on the deaf daughter’s experience—and every actor gives their best performances. I cannot wait to see what the next film has in store, but I am crossing my fingers that this next one has an actual ending.

Story Rating: 5/10

Character Rating: 5/10

Entertainment Rating: 8/10