A Quiet Place Part II doesn’t pick up where the last one left off. Instead, the first ten minutes are spent remembering the first day of the deadly invasion which drives the plot of both films. Excited cheers, crinkled wrappers and mindless chatter initially flurry through the air, blurring the soundscape and quietly reminding the audience of how entwined true connection and casual communication really are.

Part of the appeal of the first film was how intentionally the director, John Krasinski, used sound. Indeed, much of A Quiet Place was interested in understanding how a family like this would learn to live, guiding the audience through their set of apocalyptic survival techniques. A Quiet Place Part II builds on the atmosphere of its predecessor while also reckoning with the devastation inflicted upon the Abbott family.

Krasinski seems to be asking whether there is a world where this family can thrive rather than survive, but the answers he offers feel lacking, tritely reliant on plot contrivances. Indeed, the film never seems to find a way for the central cast of characters (with the refreshing introduction of Cillian Murphy) to interact with the devastation of the outside world in any meaningful way. The ending feels remarkably tidy, failing to capture new shades in this post-apocalyptic landscape, flattening everything into simple solutions and familiar tropes until we are greeted with a final shot that feels distinctly familiar.

A Quiet Place Part II offers engaging performers a chance to unpeel new layers of pain and perseverance. The first film was dedicated to trapping the audience in stifling silence, while the sequel seems more impressed with its own world-building. The script had potential to say something interesting about the nature of silence and survival, instead it foregoes this to offer an overly neat conclusion.

RATING: 3/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds and John Krasinski

DIRECTOR: John Krasinski

WRITER: John Krasinski

SYNOPSIS: After the events of the last film, the Abbott family must venture into the unknown.