“A Quiet Place 2” / A Quiet Place: Part II
Genre fantasy thriller, horror
Directed by John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt (Evelyn Abbott), Millicent Simmonds (Regan Abbott), Noah Jupe (Marcus Abbott), John Krasinski (Lee Abbott), Cillian Murphy (Emmett) and others.
Студии Buffalo FilmWorks, Paramount Pictures, Platinum Dunes
Release year 2021
Site IMDb
A Quiet Place has become one of the major horror films of recent years. The film, made on a modest budget, received a large number of accolades on Rotten Tomatoes (96% from critics and 82% from viewers), and was also included in the lists of the best pictures of 2018.
As for a horror movie in which monsters tear people apart, the situation with recognition has developed quite unpredictably. But the success of the picture is fully justified. Firstly, the role of husband and wife was played by real spouses John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. Secondly, Krasinski personally acted as a screenwriter and director of the picture, turning the cinematic banality about survival into a heartfelt family story about a strong and sacrificial love for children.
The first part ended on the most interesting (be careful, spoiler) – blind creatures, reacting to any rustle, surrounded the farm, which served as a safe haven for the main characters. After the attack, the family was left without a father, and the mother had just given birth to another child, whose crying can be heard from afar. The situation is worse than ever, and yet there is hope. This is the strength of the monsters, which with a single trick can be turned into a weakness.
A Quiet Place 2 takes viewers back to the same moment – the 474th day after life on Earth changed. But first, the events of the film are moved to Day 1 to show how it all began and give us a few more scenes with John Krasinski. Such a flashback turns out to be a rather dynamic and rich moment, reminiscent of post-apocalyptic films in which dozens and hundreds of people panic in an instant. It also partially reveals the mystery of where the monsters came from (until then, hints about their arrival could only be found in newspaper clippings hung in the basement).
After a noisy backstory, horror returns to what audiences loved it for – an atmosphere in which every loud sound can be fatal. Heroes are again forced to think through every step, hold back their words in oppressive silence and flee if their cautious actions do not work. Remarkably, the horror again pays special attention to sound (the first film received an Oscar nomination in the category of best sound editing). The creators periodically turn it off so that we feel what is happening through the eyes of Millicent Simmonds – the actress who plays the eldest child (she becomes the heart of this film). The character (like the artist herself) lives with deafness, so the girl’s perception of the world is different from what her loved ones feel when monsters appear.
By the way, in the second film, the character of Millicent Simmonds comes to the fore. She feels a connection with her late father, shows quick wit and makes bold decisions, which significantly affects the development of events. It is very interesting to see how a character with a hearing impairment is the driving force behind the plot, in which the basic skill of orientation in space is extremely important.
But this does not mean that the wonderful performance of Emily Blunt on the screen is getting smaller, her character still shows maternal bestowal and trembles through every moment that could be the last for her family.
Speaking of the family, it is worth noting that one more person is added to it – the character of Cillian Murphy, thanks to which the film’s actions are moving to new locations. Also, with the appearance of Murphy, more words are heard in the film (but for some reason there are no subtitles for sign language in the rental version), so that a quiet place sometimes becomes noisier.
Along with new places in horror, new dangers open up that the heroes did not know about before. However, the monsters rushing at people are not getting smaller here. On the contrary, they can be considered closer. This, however, does not reveal the full story of their origin, it is likely that this will be discussed in the third part of the film – Paramount Pictures is already working on organizing filming (in the new part of the franchise, Jeff Nichols will take the place of the director, which can take away the exciting family accent from the horror ).
A Quiet Place 2 is still the same movie about strong family love that helps the characters survive, only now they feel hope and go beyond the safe areas. The picture retains the atmosphere and silence of the first part, to which tension was gradually added, spurred on by music. But since the plot doesn’t feel new anymore, the effect of the monsters, and with it the concern for the main characters, doesn’t work so much anymore. Because of this, it seems that the first part was better, but this does not make the sequel bad.
Pros: retained the atmosphere of the previous film; flashback on day 1 and appearance of John Krasinski; moments when we experience the world like Millicent Simmonds’ character; new locations; Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy Cons: in the second part, the silence and the appearance of monsters no longer produce the desired effect Conclusion:
horror will be of interest to those who liked the first part – in it, against the background of constant attacks, love and family unity are still manifested.
