[Review] A Quiet Place Part II: Grew Up Overnight
After a delay of more than a year, A Quiet Place Part II finally premiered last week, once again allowing audiences to experience the unique atmosphere of watching a film in a cinema.
The film directly continues the ending of the first film, telling the story of Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her two children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), as they flee their home and search for a safe place to take refuge. The film's timeline spans only a few days and focuses on the three returning characters and the newly introduced Emmett (Cillian Murphy). The story's scope is relatively small, unlike other film series that significantly expand their cinematic universes. Therefore, viewers accustomed to large-scale film series might find this installment lacking in plot, not much different from the first film, and without much novelty.
Perhaps some viewers might wonder: since this film seems to be an extension of the first part, does it have a reason to exist? While it's true that the story's scope isn't vast, its theme is very clear and quite different from the first film. In the previous installment, we experienced the world of A Quiet Place from Evelyn's perspective. Their primary goal throughout the film was to survive and, amidst the desperate situation, for Evelyn to give birth to her baby, ensuring everyone's survival. At the end of the first film, Evelyn's husband, Lee, sacrificed his life to protect his wife and children. This installment not only revolves around how they continue to survive but also explores how they move forward after losing a loved one. The new protagonist, Emmett, like Evelyn and her children, has lost his family. He seems to have lost his purpose in life as a result, with his sole aim for survival being simply to keep himself alive. After encountering Evelyn and her family, he initially wanted to drive them away, not wanting them to change his existing life. However, he is later moved by Evelyn and Regan, seemingly finding a new meaning in life: protecting Regan and helping her pursue clues to use the noise from her cochlear implant to help the world fight the monsters.
Similarly, Evelyn's family, after losing Lee, must also pull themselves together and move forward. This installment doesn't focus as much on Evelyn, as her primary goal, whether Lee is present or not, is to protect her three children. However, the situation is very different for her two older children, Regan and Marcus. After their father Lee's death, they feel they can no longer live under their mother's protection and must grow up to protect their family. Among the two, the older sister Regan has always been relatively strong, but this time she must leave her family and embark on a journey alone to follow clues. The younger brother Marcus, although more vulnerable, must also shoulder the responsibility of protecting his infant brother. The process of growing up is never easy, as they must step out of their comfort zones and face unprecedented challenges. In the setting of A Quiet Place, they face not just ordinary challenges but life-threatening crises, so they need even more courage. The film's ending precisely shows the result of their growth - the two children defeat the monster and protect the two helpless adults. The film ends here, which might seem a bit abrupt, but this scene is similar to Evelyn raising her shotgun at the end of the first film, reflecting that the two children have grown significantly within this installment and are capable of protecting their family. This scene also makes viewers look forward to the next chapter of the film.
Although the script for this installment is not as strong as the first, the film is still technically outstanding. The opening scene returns to the day the monsters appeared. The first shot shows a silent, deserted town, making one mistakenly believe this is set in the post-apocalypse, but Lee's appearance reveals that this is a flashback. The production team used many long takes in this sequence, and the scenes of people fleeing and the bus losing control after the monsters appear allow the audience to experience the real-time sense of crisis in the film, which is very thrilling. In the later part of the film, the plot develops along three main storylines: Evelyn going out to find oxygen tanks, Marcus taking care of his infant brother in the foundry, and Emmett and Regan pursuing clues outside. The production team effectively used cross-cutting to balance the three storylines and create a strong sense of suspense, allowing the audience to feel the danger faced by the protagonists. In the film's ending, the cross-cutting culminates with both Regan and Marcus killing monsters, echoing the theme of this installment, highlighting their growth, and providing the audience with one of the most memorable film endings of the year.
Trailer:
Synopsis:
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.
Photo and Source: IMDb