This Covid pandemic-delayed sequel to the sleeper horror hit A Quiet Place – which literally came out of nowhere to ‘wow’ audiences three years ago – more than does the original justice.
It may be a ‘shade’ below the first film overall, primarily due to the ‘surprise’ factor of the savage alien creatures that hunt by sound being taken out of the equation, but definitely provides a more than noteworthy follow-up that is well worth shouting about.
It’s actually more of a Millicent Simmonds (as deaf Abbot daughter Regan) story this time round than an Emily Blunt (as mother Evelyn) one.
When Evelyn (with newborn son clasped closely to her chest), Regan, and Marcus (Noah Jupe) – having recently lost Abbott patriarch Lee (John Krasinski) who was killed at the end of the last movie – stumble across a smoke single, it takes them to an eerie industrial compound.
Here they find alone, old family friend Emmett – Peaky Blinders’ star Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) – who reluctantly takes them into his bunker after Marcus’ leg gets seriously lacerated in a bear trap.
This leads to basically two intertwining storylines, as Regan – with all the intriguing ‘heart in mouth moments’ that a girl ‘who can’t hear a thing’ can have with aliens lurking in the shadows – heads out with Emmett in close pursuit, after the family hear a nearby ‘loop’ on a radio signal which could lead to the existence of more human survival ‘pockets’.
Which in turns leads to Evelyn staying with her ailing son in the bunker, and then having to venture out alone for medical supplies as his injury worsens – leaving him alone with the task of keeping his baby brother quiet.
Both plotlines work effectively, but the Regan/Emmett one proves to be the most ‘potently’ memorable of the two, with the Evelyn/Marcus line echoing some elements of the 2018 original.
Along the way we get a neat ‘intro’ that fills in the some of the blanks to the planet’s alien invasion (and we get a John Krasinski cameo to boot, as he once again directs), and ‘present day’ twists such as how a community – led by Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) as the colony leader – is thriving next to the coast.
What evolves is a solid second film that, despite its fairly simple premise, ticks all the right horror ‘jump scares’ boxes yet again.
So much so, a third film has already been greenlit this week.
But when watching you’ll notice everyone is munching on their cinema snacks just that little bit quieter – as this proves to be the perfect post-lockdown popcorn cruncher.
ESP Rating: 3.5/5
Gavin Miller
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou & John Krasinski
Running Time: 1 Hr 37 Mins
Director: John Krasinski
Go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux
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