“The Purge” is a great example of kids screwing things up in the middle of a tense situation. Another example is “28 Weeks Later.” The latest example is “A Quiet Place II.”
After a brief opening scene showing the first day of the alien attack, this sequel picks up immediately after the events of the original 2018 film. With their home in tatters, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her newborn baby, as well as her school-age children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), are forced to venture out for a new shelter.
Along the way they meet an old friend from their destroyed town, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), though he’s reluctant to help. With the knowledge that her hearing aid is useful against the aliens, though, Regan has a drive in her to find a way to spread the word.
In high stress situations, people sometimes make bad decisions. But jeez, there are a lot of them here, and it’s hard to ignore. Of course that’s not entirely uncommon in the horror genre, but usually, if people are doing some foolish things that lead to their death, it’s often in the more cheesy corner.
When it’s that type of movie, it’s easier to forgive. It’s harder to get away in this movie, though. These two films are serious, the genre feels elevated. As a result, having characters make such obvious mistakes in. this sequel feels out of place. That’s especially true considering they’ve been surviving in this situation for quite some time.
Ultimately, these decisions cause frustration for a viewer. But on top of that, it also reveals that the movie is kind of running on empty in the story department. A big portion of the mayhem that occurs in the film just feels like a filler B-plot, rather than advancing the narrative. Plainly put, one set of the protagonists don’t really have much to do.
Another issue that comes up is the character Emmett, who decides to assist Regan in trying to find a way to get the word out on her hearing aid’s ability. The problem is he wasn’t really needed. Considering how the first movie ended, it feels like this role should have gone to Evelyn.
Instead, she’s largely sidelined as Emmett takes the center stage. A simple change of having Evelyn join Regan could have allowed the film to continue focusing on this family unit which powered a lot of the original.
It’s not to say Murphy did poorly in the role. He gets the rugged, traumatized survivor persona down nicely. Yet it feels like the character could have been utilized in a different way to more coherently carry on from the first movie.
Murphy deserves credit for giving the character good personality, though, and the rest of the cast is solid, too. Even though their respective characters make some really questionable choices, the performers do well in showing the desperation, fear and will to live on.
The main strength of “Quiet Place II,” though, is its technical aspects. Krasinski’s direction is solid while the technical crew does good work in bringing the aliens to life and nicely handling the sound work. Their efforts result in some rather good set pieces.
When it comes to entertainment value, the film does deliver, with several wild, intense scenes. The characters are convincingly on edge, and like the first movie, it’s rightfully so, and an audience member can feel that tension through the screen.
While the survival against the alien creatures provides a good deal of thrills for an audience, though, the movie is also undercutting itself here and there. One wishes its use of the characters was done in a better manner, and that they didn’t make moves that were downright annoying. 2.75 out of 5
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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