A Quiet Place Part 2 (Spoiler-Free Review)

 

Malaysian cinemas are not opening anytime soon, but it will not stop me from reviewing one of the anticipated releases of the year. A Quiet Place was meant to play in theatres last year before the pandemic happened and was one of the first few movies to realize how the pandemic was going to affect moviegoing since the virus is spread through contact, ergo cinemas will be closing down. Paramount decides to release a year later due to American cinemas opening (and not everywhere else worldwide) and then on Paramount Plus - their all-new streaming service - almost 40 days later. Well, it's finally here and I finally got to watch it. 

I never thought John Krasinski would make a sequel but here we are. The ending of the first movie worked so well to become a standalone horror movie but instead got me worried as to whether it would be good or not since sequels don't always necessarily do well but he decided to surprise me but also managed to make a sequel that reached the exact peak of expectation that I leveled in my brain when I decided to hit play. 

After the intense flashback scene (which is honestly, the best scene in the whole film), the movie picks up from where we left off in the first film, sending the Abbott family on a journey to stray away from their home only to meet Cillian Murphy's character, one of the few character additions, barely an hour away. There is only one big flaw within the storyline made up for this sequel is that it is exactly the same as the previous film but it also adds some backstory to these characters and possibly even the monsters that now, reside amongst these characters. 

Like the predecessor, the sound mixing and editing are absolutely exceptional making sure we hear everything that's there or not there, giving you a jolt every time something too loud happens. The stress that comes with this film is also real and intoxicating as it gets audiences invested with the story and the rooting for our protagonists. However, we are left wanting more. There isn't much to work on within the sequel that leaves you disappointed with the film even if the depth of your soul filters the bad to remember the good of this sequel had portrayed. Something to marvel at, is, of course, the performance of the cast, although it's a small number of people.

Apart from one big flaw, A Quiet Place Part II will reel you in well enough to lose track of everything else and leave you breathless by the end of it, a feeling not many movies are capable of doing these days. With a sequel and spin-off in the works, I cannot wait to see what Krasinski has in store while hoping it does provide much better explanations to all the questions I have going on in my head since this dystopia was introduced.