A Quiet Place 2 Review – Splintered But Swift

‘A Quiet Place 2’ picks off where the first film ended, but not before a quick flashback to ‘Day 1’ of the apocalypse – when aliens invaded the earth. So viewers get a glimpse of director/actor John Krasinski, who if you’ll remember, doesn’t make it alive in 2018 flick’s climax.

Plot overview – After Lee Abbott’s (Krasinski) tragic death, his wife and kids move out of their home, only to realize the alien-monsters aren’t the only villains in the outside world.

There’s a hint of ‘The Walking Dead’ survival mode in this sequel, however, the Abbott family’s trouble pale out in comparison to a lot of other post-apocalyptic stories. Millicent Simmonds who plays Regan Abbott, the stubborn annoying eldest child, does very little growing up and continues to be a naive teen who thinks she can ‘save’ the world. While her mom Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is trying to keep them all safe, Regan packs up her stuff and ventures out alone, because apparently she thinks she is Lara Croft, the alien slayer. No prizes for guessing someone else has to step up and save her ass.

The cinematography is visually appealing, especially in the outdoor scenes; a world devoid of an overwhelming human population looks a lot more greener and steeped in natural beauty. Some of the scene transitions are brilliantly done, especially in the second-half of the film, where the story is splintered between Regan’s solo adventure and Evelyn’s supply run for her son and newborn. This is a film made for the big-screen, so all of us who missed watching it in the theater have something to lament about. On a streaming-platform, it all feels slightly underwhelming, largely due to the fact that as a sequel, the story has already lost its novelty value, and the writers use a lot of classic tropes that make the film highly predictable.

Cillian Murphy has an interesting cameo as Emment, a survivor who crosses paths the with Abbott family. Noah Jupe delivers a layered performance as Regan’s younger brother Marcus; his character is ironically a lot more mature than his older sister. Emily Blunt as mother-hen Evelyn doesn’t get the screen-time fans might expect, neither does she get to do many action sequences, which was a bit of a bummer. The climax felt slightly repetitive, but manages to be somewhat satisfactory, ending on a note that clearly leaves a lot of scope for another sequel.

Despite all its flaws ‘A Quiet Place 2’ is a worthy sequel, with a crisp runtime and engaging performances.

It’s a 6.5/10 from me. You can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.