A Quiet Place Part II

This movie is a very solid sequel which while is mostly just a variation on the theme established by the first installment, it is still very engaging and does not really have dull moments. Cillian Murphy was an excellently chosen addition to the cast. In the end, however, I do have to admit that I was shaking my head in disbelief at some of the behavior of the characters in this movie, even though I could accept their somewhat questionable decisions in the first installment. (27/07/2021)

It bothers me a bit that all the plot of the second A Quiet Place stems from the fact that one of the characters comes up with a fairly sensible plan, but instead of thinking it through calmly and discussing it with the others, she immediately sets out to implement it herself, which, of course, sets in motion a number of problems and dangerous situations for herself and the others. It also suffers a bit from the syndrome of the second part of a trilogy (I reckon there’ll be a another sequel), which de facto doesn't begin or end in any way. And ultimately, I could’ve done without those cheap jump scares. Despite all that, however, this is very effective monster horror, and since this is my first cinema experience after ten months of covid misery and suffering, I can't go below a four. (11/06/2021)

A datadisc to a good video game. We already know the engine, we know the rules, we know the controls. New missions, new playable characters, new enemies and environments have been added. We don't need to hire a professional for the story, it's all about incorporating the new elements seamlessly. Totally fine. _____ I realized how long it's been since I've seen such cool work with framing, sound, camera movement, and point of view changes in newer genre films, and that's just for the purpose of the spectacle. (07/09/2021)

At some point before the end of the first film, I already felt this world was a bit exhausted and I didn't quite feel the need to return to it. The sequel confirms that feeling, unfortunately. John Krasinski basically repeats what worked last time, and I'm going to believe that it's not because he can't do anything else, but rather because his world doesn't stand on a strong enough foundation on which to build a full-fledged sequel. If, however, you caught the last one before the closing credits and you're in the same boat as me, you're going to get a bit lost in the sequel. Krasinski is very confident in the action scenes, he can also get the atmosphere right and his scares are in the right places, but the whole thing feels somehow unnecessary. Trying to expand the world doesn't lead to anything interesting, Cillian Murphy's character doesn't really work, and trying to split up the protagonists and spread them out over several locations and give each one their own challenge or problem misses the mark too. It's more like Krasinski is chasing minutes and trying to get to the end credits as soon as possible so that the audience doesn't notice that this sequel doesn't make much sense and just varies what the first film impressed with. There really aren't many new ideas here, and I can easily do without the third film. (09/06/2021)

Almost as simple and straightforward, but with more substantial and over-the-top moments, which the first film mostly lacked or was in a slightly different, more intimate spirit. Some things are interestingly portrayed (the island, the harbour outcasts), but it woefully lacks any explanation of "where, how, why". We also don’t get to know anything about the monsters, it’s again a survival flick with family values, but wonderfully shot, with some sensational camera work without editing, which pulls it upwards. (07/07/2021)