A Quiet Place II

When was the last time you were in a cinema watching a movie on a big screen? Nope, here at Woman’s Way we can’t remember either. But the theatres are opening soon and there’s at least one film that’s tempting us back to plush seats, surround sound and larger-than-life action. Starring Cillian Murphy, critics say A Quiet Place II is every bit as good as the original.

A Quiet Place was a surprise hit when it was released back in 2018. The premise was hardly new – aliens lands on earth and wipe out most of humanity except for a small group, in this case a family of four called the Abbotts. What set it apart was brilliant acting, directing and a bizarre twist. To stay alive the family must stay quiet at all times. The aliens hunt by sound and stepping on a creaky floorboard could be a death sentence. 

Without dialogue, the film maker John Krasinski - who also plays Lee Abbott, the father of the family - had to rely on good visual story telling. It worked. The mostly silent film had the added bonus of encouraging audiences to refrain from noisily chomping popcorn during the showing.

The sequel was due to be released in March 2020, better known these days as the ‘end time’, when life as we knew it ceased to exist. More than a year later A Quiet Place II is among a handful of films being shown when the cinemas here finally reopen.

At the end of the first film, Lee Abbott has been killed and the sequel picks up the story as the mother Evelyn, brilliantly played by Emily Blunt (who is married to director Krasinski in real life) decides to find out if there have been any other survivors. It’s the road trip from hell, although they do manage to reunite with an old family friend played by Cillian Murphy.

The oldest daughter Regan is the emotional heart of the film. She’s deaf and played beautifully by Millicent Simmonds, who is also deaf. Her disability has given the family an edge in the fight for survival against the aliens. They are all fluent in American Sign Language and able to communicate without attracting the aliens. Noah Jupe plays the younger brother.

It’s Regan who rallies the small group to keep going. When Cillian Murphy’s character complains that the other survivors “aren’t worth saving”, its Regan who believes that people are worth saving and, what’s more, might help in the fightback against the aliens.

A Quiet Place II was made long before Covid raised its ugly crown, but it seems strangely appropriate for our time. There’s bound to be plenty of women who will identify with Emily Blunt, alone with her kids, battling to keep going and reconnect with what remains of the human race. In fact this sounds like the kind of movie to make us all feel like, hey maybe the last year or so wasn’t so bad after all.