‘A Quiet Place Part II’ a must see

By Matt Pascarella

Running Time: 97 minutes

Make a noise and they might find you. If they find you, you’re in trouble. When we first met the Abbot family back in 2018, it was day 472 of a post-apocalyptic world in which fast-moving creatures are drawn to loud noises.

In this much-anticipated sequel, we are taken back to the start of this madness. We see the beginnings of a world in which sound is a luxury not to be taken lightly. After day one, the movie moves right back to where “A Quiet Place” left off. Some events have transpired, and the Abbot family must now make their way in this bizarre, not so new world. Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou.

Shelved for over a year because of the pandemic, I was very eager to see this. I’ll admit I wanted it to be available for home viewing; it’s not. I’m so glad I saw it in the theater though. It was worth the wait! It will get your heart racing and have you on the edge of your seat. It’s action-packed horror/adventure/thriller that I cannot recommend enough.

After the events of “A Quiet Place” the Abbot family must continue to survive. On day one, the family is attending a youth baseball game, before everything turns to chaos. This sequel quickly fast forwards to immediately following the end of the first movie. The members of the Abbot family are searching for something. They struggle a little and must hide themselves. Someone from their past (Murphy) is watching them. When one of the children, Regan (Simmonds) hears what she thinks might be a transmission signal she wants to go looking for it, but there are many obstacles in the way. And they may not be alone.

This movie had me nervous at times as I watched these characters navigate in an environment where sound might mean death. At one point, a member of the family gets a backpack caught on a loose piece of fence; when the backpack gets freed, the fence rattles. I waited. I might have been holding my breath. In another scene, Regan is cornered by a creature, and she has few options to escape while investigating an abandoned train car. I was nervous for her. I almost wanted to shout out to them. The opening music is creepy and very unsettling. It’s an almost groaning that kind of makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“A Quiet Place Part II” is an excellent continuation of its predecessor. After the Earth is inhabited by sound-seeking creatures, what happens to humanity? Can it still go on? In interviews, Krasinski said that this movie, which he wrote and directed with his wife, Blunt, was a love letter to his children. That seems weird at first, but the movie is about a family taking care of and protecting each other.

For this sequel to have its full effect, I think it’s important to see the original first. This is an edge-of-your-seat intense movie. I recommend seeing it in the theater. It will make this movie’s tense moments and jump scares that much better. As sequels go, it’s common that the second is never as good as the first; that doesn’t apply here. If you are a fan of sci-fi-ish horror or just good horror, you cannot go wrong with “A Quiet Place Part II.” Two portable radios up.

Now in theaters. <