A Quiet Place: Part II

Some movie sequels are highly anticipated, as the first part of a cinematographic saga leaves indelible traces in our memory. Certainly the third film written, directed and interpreted by John Krasinski in which his partner in life Emily Blunt held the first female role.  The first part set the scene in a post-apocalyptic world and featured a family forced to live in silence while hiding from ultra-sensitive monsters. The permanent inventiveness of this almost closed-door film made it certainly one of the event films of 2018 and the open ending of this film easily allowed to extend this cinematographic universe by continuing to explore a futuristic world in which the few humans still alive had to do everything to stay alive in front of alien creatures having nothing to envy to those of the Alien universe. 

Will A Quiet Place II really surpass the first movie or will it simply extend the universe by playing it safe rather than trying to expand it? The answer is definitely yes because the writer and director John Krasinski whose character died in the first part can focus here on writing and directing. His character Lee Abbott, who died at the end of A Quiet Place, appears here in the introductory scene, which is easily one of the best discoveries in cinema recently. Like the first part, A Quiet Place Part II is a real intense cinematographic experience in which everything contributes to make this one of the best films of this year and especially to see it on a big screen in the cinema (the Imax or 4DX versions are well worth the detour). 

In this sequel, we find the Abbott family, the mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt perfect once again) and her three children, her deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), her son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and his newborn. In the first installment, this family learned about the weak points of these warlike aliens, an extreme sensitivity to certain frequencies. This time, the Abbott family must face the dangers of the outside world and continue their struggle to survive. Forced to venture out of their home, they soon realize that sound-hunting creatures are not the only threats they face. A Quiet Place Part II easily exceeds our expectations as the film does not take the easy way out, moving from the suffocating confines of the first film to an open world and a multiplication of action locations. The intelligence of the scenario makes that the action is completely split by separating the main characters and thus reminds us of the strength of certain books and literary characters forced to give the best of them to overcome many dangers. It emerges here that the numerous aliens are much more present on the screen to our great pleasure. 

It is easy to understand that the director understood the spectators' expectations and the keys to the success of the first part, notably the use of sound, the contribution of sign language to communicate but also to put a broken family at the center of the story. The famous cat-and-mouse game once again plays an important role. This sequel is all the more successful as it places this time not only the mother Evelyn at the center but also her daughter Regan who will prove to be a real fighter and have a real will to intervene to change the order of things and turn things around. She goes from a simple teenager to a young woman who wants to save her family. It's easy to understand why Paramount Pictures wanted to postpone the release of this film, which must be seen in theaters, after the global pandemic, while these studios have abandoned other films to streaming platforms.  The excellent start of the film in the United States as well supported by a dithyrambic criticism of the American critics (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the public which makes it one of the biggest successes of the moment shows that Paramount Pictures was right to give a chance to this excellent film that we can only advise you

A Quiet Place: Part II
Written and Directed by John Krasinski
Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Based on Characters by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck
Starring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou
Music by Marco Beltrami
Cinematography : Polly Morgan
Edited by Michael P. Shawver
Production company : Platinum Dunes, Sunday Night Productions
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date : March 8, 2020 (New York), May 28, 2021 (USA), June 16, 2021 (France)
Running Time : 97 minutes

Seen on March 11, 2020 at the Pathé Beaugrenelle Dolby Cinema
Reviewed on May 20, 2021 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 16 4DX place I6

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