Hello all!
This movie series was an unexpected hit in many ways while also staying modestly low-key. It took me awhile before I watched the sequel, but I found myself needing to catch-up with two ratings and a review after watching Part II. If you've never heard of this series, check it out, if you do know of it, let's discuss!
What's the story about: A Quiet Place, and subsequently, A Quiet Place: Part II follow the Abbott family as they strive to survive the post-apocalyptic world that is inhabited by insanely deadly creatures known to hunt and kill anything that makes sound. The first movie centers around the family as they near the end of a pregnancy and try to make the best of an incredibly difficult situation. The second movie follows the fallout of the first movie where the family must cope with their loss with newfound information about how to move forward. While the second movie has an ending, there is a lot left open-ended, which makes more sense knowing that there will be a Part III arriving in 2025.
While these movies are marketed as horror, I don't believe they really qualify as such since they lean more into a sci-fi thriller and suspense category. This is obviously not a hard line because genre is best when it is blended, but when we have clear movies like Alien that definitively lands in horror sci-fi, I feel that this series is something different. Horror films (especially nowadays) are really more about shocking audiences and unnecessarily gratuitous violence than they are about storytelling. This pair of movies are exactly the opposite, which is why they work considerably better; while they feature horror elements, they care about the characters first, utilize fear intentionally, and has something to say that feels entirely more wholesome than anything horror ever has to offer. Now that I've got out of the way, we can discuss the two movies.
Honestly, watching these movies reminded me of when I was younger when watching a simple story worked so well because it's easy to follow, fun to invest in, and is satisfying in it's conclusion. Sometimes you simply need an easy story to follow that cares to be intentional and focused and that's what these two movies are. They follow a family put into an incredibly stressful and difficult situation. What's great is that the Abbott family struggles as any family does since people are flawedly complicated. The father tries to protect, the kids try to grow into themselves, and the mother has the hardest job of filling in the cracks when everything doesn't work perfectly. (This is not a representation of every family unit similar in structure, but is universally similar to many.) I honestly love how John Krasinski and Emily Blunt portray the parental unit. It's not super insightful or anything, but it's relatable enough to bring you in in a way that feels real and beautiful. I think this comes from their real-life marriage and it was cool to see how well it translated.
When it comes down to it, the main thing these movies do well is capture moments and have appropriate tension and release. There are many intentionally stressful and scary situations that the family has to overcome, but these are always balanced by small moments that allow you to connect to the characters when there is a pause. Krasinski isn't doing anything crazy here but what he does do is showcased well. This is such a good example of why taking a timeless idea and presenting it in a new way is so well-received in film. It's great when you can tell a great story in any setting that allows connection to the characters and their missions.
A Quiet Place - ★★★★ 4 Stars A Quiet Place is a highly suspense-filled sci-fi thriller that oddly centers around...family. This movie works so well because of how well it utilizes the simple aspects of visual storytelling. Without words being spoken almost at all, you understand the plights of the family. Through sound you understand terror. I appreciate so much how little is said and how much is translated in the storytelling. I would never say that this movie is amazing, but it's highly entertaining, empowering, and satisfying when it is over.
A Quiet Place: Part II - ★★★★ 3.5 Stars A Quiet Place: Part II is a competent and enjoyable sequel film, but suffers a little from a too-short runtime. Since these films really do tend to focus on the characters the most, I can't fault it for not living up to the first film entirely, but something just felt lacking in the second outing. Instead of there being a focal point in the birth of the new baby, there is just kind of a loose goal that is not very developed. I enjoyed seeing the old characters evolve and new characters be introduced, but with how fast the story moves, there isn't much for them to do. The film ends in a more unresolved state than the first movie but is still mostly enjoyable in it's conclusion.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this series, other reviews, or talk movie recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.