John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place II is a hit. The sequel to 2018’s A Quiet Place, the tense and suspenseful film makes for a great movie experience. Especially after over a year of a worldwide pandemic that prevented us all from going to the movie theaters. Don’t take my word for it though – read the review by our very own Dom, who rated the sequel a 4.5 out of 5.
And while I agree with my colleague’s assessment of the 2021 horror film, I did go and see the film myself a few days ago and walked away with some thoughts. While I enjoyed the theater experience and thought Cillian Murphy was an absolute standout, there were a few things that I do wish the movie would have done differently.
Let’s get right into it – what A Quiet Place Part II should have done:
Let Emily Blunt Be The Main Focal Point
In the first movie, we saw Emily Blunt’s character rise to the occasion and be a complete badass. Even while pregnant or giving birth or with a nail in her foot, she was going to protect her family. When John Krasinski’s character (Lee Abbott) was killed at the end of the first film, I really thought we were going to see Evelyn Abbott be the main badass in the sequel. Instead, we see her immediately take her children to Cillian Murphy’s character. She takes a backseat so Murphy’s Emmett could become the main hero of the sequel. I would have liked to see Blunt in more of a heroine role and while she had some cool scenes, her character really just stepped aside so a new character could save the day.
Explain The Monsters More
Now, we’re getting into real spoiler territory for those who have not seen the sequel yet. In the first movie, we really don’t know where these ravenous monsters have come from. In the second film, there is a small attempt to explain where they originate from. It’s clear that they are not from this world and landed after a meteor crash-landed into the Earth. Did they come on a ship? Did they only land in one area? Is the rest of the world/country also dealing with these creatures? Can they procreate? I feel that ambiguity was fine in the first movie, but with the second, I was hoping for a little more of an explanation.
Give Djimon Hounsou and Scoot McNairy Bigger Roles
When they were promoting A Quiet Place Part II, the movie made it seem as if Djimon Hounsou would have had a much bigger role. Not only did they announce his casting, but he made a few appearances in the trailer. This all led me to believe that we would see him a lot more in the film than we actually did. Not only did Hounsou appear at the very end of the film and had very minimal screentime, but [SPOILER ALERT] his character dies in such an anti-climatic way. In such a way that you can see it coming. It almost felt like a lazy way to get rid of his character so that we couldn’t see him and Murphy work together.
Now, Scoot McNairy wasn’t really announced prior to being in this movie. I found out from social media, when everyone was surprised that McNairy pops up. However, if you didn’t really know he was in it beforehand, you wouldn’t really have recognized him. I know I’m a McNairy fan and maybe people don’t really know him enough to say “hey, Tia, he should have had a bigger role”. If you don’t know who McNairy is, then fine. But, let’s consider then that his character should have had more screentime. At the beginning of the film, Murphy’s Emmett alludes to Evelyn that there are people out in the world who are not worth saving. We see this with McNairy’s group, who have clearly gone insane. This was the franchise’s chance to explore a Walking Dead scenario – where it’s the humans, not the monsters; that are the ones to be feared. I would have liked it explored more, but it was cut as soon as it started. Such a wasted opportunity.
Other than that, it was a worthy sequel to the original film. And I’m interested in seeing more from this franchise.
What’d you think of A Quiet Place Part II?
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A girl with too many fandoms to count.
