RUN! (A Quiet Place Part II 2021)

 292.

A Quiet Place Part II

7.5/10

John Krasinski has been at work again writing, producing and directing a sequel to his first success in the franchise, A Quiet Place. SPOILER ALERT, if you haven't seen the first one, Krasinski cast himself in there to play alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt. At the end of the first, his character sacrificed himself to save their kids and this movie will follow the remaining family member's journey through this post-apocalyptic world, which is ravaged by blind aliens, with a keen sense of hearing. It'll be interesting to see how the movie evolves now that the family have to leave their attacked home and look for shelter in a world they haven't seen in a long while. The movie's trailer already shows the addition of Cillian Murphy to our casting. As a guy who can play any role thrown in his direction, not too much is given away at this point as to the character's main intentions once he runs into the family. After the enjoyment that the first movie brought, I was looking forward to watching this one and seeing if it would be as successful. 

The movie begins with a flashback and a little more explanation of where the aliens came from. Krasinski is back as Lee Abbott as the family are watching their son Marcus play baseball down the local park. In the background, a couple of asteroid-like objects are hurling themselves to Earth. Not long after, total panic hits the small town as the aliens begin their attack. At this time, people have no idea what qualities and strengths they are up against and it isn't long before the slaughter is well and truly done for now. 

The story carries on straight where the first finished. A year after the first attack and our family are leaving the first home. On their travels, Reagan has created a weapon using a portable speaker and her cochlear implant. They hit a snag, setting off a trap, Marcus gets trapped in a bear trap and here comes an alien hearing the screams. It is killed by Reagan and Blunt's character Evelyn as the family make it into a foundry, bumping into an old friend Emmett. Emmett is played by Murphy and he leads them into his underground hideout. I think we are about to see if there are any intentions. He is happy to help for now but the family cannot stay. Emmett has completely shut down after losing his wife and kids and isn't sure what he's doing with himself but knows he doesn't want anyone else around. 

Marcus in the meantime has become infatuated with 'somewhere beyond the sea' which consistently plays on a radio station. He is adamant that it is a clue from other survivors on where to go. Reagan is the only one who can head out on the mission with her brother's leg injured and her mother looking after a newborn. She figures that she can weaponize the radio tower and help other people protect themselves. After heading out, Emmett soon follows and saves her. She asks him to help complete her mission but due to Emmett not knowing sign language, it is a struggle to start. Back at the foundry, Evelyn has left Marcus with the newborn and heads into town to get medical supplies but Marcus hits a snag as he discovers the corpse of Emmett's dead wife and screams, alerting a couple of aliens. He accidentally locks himself and the baby inside an air-tight furnace. We know have two stories side by side as Marcus and the baby are on a countdown to death and Reagan along with Emmett reach a  dock where they are set upon by feral humans. 

Emmett only has one plan as he makes as much noise as possible, attracting aliens to kill the attackers as he and Reagan quickly board a boat and row to the island. On the island, a group is living as normal as possible. BBQ's, laughter and noise in other forms aren't fearsome for these lot. The leader of the colony cannot do enough to help the newcomers and feed them before hearing their plan. In the morning we do hit a little hiccup as a creature has floated over on another boat, nice and conveniently so that the story doesn't end easily. The leader gets killed but the plan is complete and the radio tower becomes a weapon for everyone who recognises that the aliens react badly to the horrific static through the speakers. Back at the foundry, Evelyn has found Marcus and the baby before they suffocate. Marcus has already found the frequency on the radio, not only letting him and his mother know that Reagan is safe but that they can now use the sound to escape from the alien parading around the foundry. The movie ends quite openly. Reagan leaves her hearing aid at the microphone with the broadcast turned on, hoping that anyone who recognises it, can use it to escape to somewhere safe.

That's where the credits roll. It leaves many questions as to what happens next, how far does this signal carry and has anyone else around the world found a tactic to fight back? I think the story for our family ends here as the safety of the island is what they need to finally settle down. If we do a get third movie in the franchise, I doubt it would act as a straight sequel. Maybe a spin-off set somewhere else in the world at the same time or even later in the timeline with humans fighting back. I want to take a closer look at how these aliens came to Earth in such dramatic circumstances and there are plenty of directions we can head in. Hopefully, they don't change behind the camera too much, so that the success does continue. 

With the father figure of this movie lost in the prequel, it was time for the children to step up as best as possible. Both children evolved to help protect their mother and younger sibling and although Marcus was made to step into his father's shoes, after an early injuring, it was actually Reagan who stole the show. Much like her character Millicent Simmonds was very impressive once again in the movie. As an actress who is deaf in real life, she was asked to become an adult in this movie very quickly. After working with professionals to make sure that her sign language was clean and I can imagine she felt a sense of pressure to be the representation for something we rarely see on the big screen. I do not doubt that the community felt that Millicent was a massive success. Cillian Murphy is the other stand-out addition to the movie. From seeing the trailer I was very unaware of whether his role would be for good or have a more sinister motive. Because Murphy has such a range on his CV,  there's a slight intrigue on what he is going to bring to the big screen in terms of character style. Starting as a shut-off loner, looking to just do the bare minimum as he has lost everyone he loves, the character is quickly reminded there's still good in the world. He becomes our main male lead, unbeknownst to himself and whether he wanted it or not, he was integral to the success of Reagan's mission. As always, a great job done by Murphy with the character arch and quite possibly the standout part of the movie.

I'm always game for a horror movie and more so when it's a monster flick. The idea of this movie was interesting in the first movie and it was always going to be a task to replicate the success of the first movie. I enjoyed it just as much. To keep the same writer and director on board was always going to be a big feature as visions can sometimes be changed as the bosses move ideas about. Krasinski and Blunt have worked very well together here as a personal relationship has seemingly helped but as we possibly move away from the characters we have come to know, and Krasinski is also moving away from behind the camera to a more consultancy role on a rumoured third installation, I just hope things don't go a little too astray. It doesn't need to and the blueprint for enjoyment is already there to work with.