A Quiet Place Part 2 review

After the first A Quiet Place made itself heard, people pricked up their ears when the sequel was announced (that’s the last of my auditory puns, don’t worry). Horror sequels or any sequel for that matter can struggle to hit the same mark the original did. Some can give enemies new powers to an absurd degree where it’s hard to feel scared, or not know how to continue without some other form of contrivance.

It picks up exactly where the last one left off, the family making the way out of their own house into the rest of the US. Since we only got to focus on the one family before, there were a lot of lingering questions of how the rest of the world had adapted to the aliens.

Due to my Aspergers sound and I have a strange relationship. I consider it to be physical because of the effect it has on me. It's something that can easily pull me out of an experience, but it can just as easily bring me in, which it did here. Unsurprisingly sound is still well-utilised in this. Thanks to both my own sensitivity and the last film I found myself paying attention to every little noise at the beginning, wondering what the one that attracts the aliens.

It also uses them to occasionally show us Reagan's perspective when she removes her hearing aid. Maybe it's just because I can be sensitive to sounds, but it was great seeing Krasinski's auditory creativity at play.

In fact, sound as a whole is weaponised, ordinary glass bottles becoming more dangerous than firearms. It manages to keep the aliens a consistent threat while changing very little, if anything, about them since just one or two can wreak destruction wherever they go.

Krasinski remembers that even a small number of the aliens can be threatening, and sticks to that without escalating to an absurd degree which is a trap many horror directors fall into when it comes to sequels. He also expands on certain details about them, like their aversion to water-based sounds.

Reagan, Marcus and the new character Emmett are given the focus in this one, but the mother Evelyn didn’t have much to do character-wise, mostly having to care for the baby and Marcus.

It’s been a long time since I went to the cinema, but I’m glad this was the one I got to see on the big screen, even more glad that mum and I got the place (nearly) to ourselves to watch it! Streaming is still nice and even though it's seen a rise, cinema still remains an experience I missed and am glad to return to!