A QUIET PLACE II, A No-Spoiler Review

Worthy of a trip to the movie theater. I say yes!

A QUIET PLACE II was the first film I watched in a theater after receiving the COVID vaccine. It was a joyous occasion on many levels and worth a trip to the theater. The suspense and scare moments are best viewed when in a large, dark room, alongside a bunch of others who will scream in unison with you. We ventured into a theater in Madison, Wisconsin last night, our mask mandate having been lifted the day before. (Dane County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country).

Here are 5 reasons this film is worth the price of the ticket:

1. This is true scifi (in the spirit of Ridley Scott’s Alien, AKA monster versus human)
2. The storytelling is intimate in the best possible way, focusing on one family scrambling to survive in a nearly impossible world
3. Jump out of your seat moments, but without the extreme gore often found in the horror genre
4. A longer story arc that builds tension and keeps the audience longing for more
5. A dynamic deaf actress who plays a deaf character. An amazing role and an amazing performance by Millicent Simmonds

A QUIET PLACE II is rated PG-13. Mature teens could handle this if they like horror. Again…this is not gory horror, but it will likely give little tykes nightmares.

I must say, the group of us were giddy and joyful to be walking into the theater again after so many months of Netflix and Amazon Prime and Disney Plus, etc, etc, viewing by ourselves in our little hovels. The theater felt glorious and expansive.

Some economists ponder whether or not the movie theater will die as a result of our streaming habits (already in process before Covid). If last night is any indication, I would say no. Some films need to be viewed in community, and in a massive, dark space.

A QUIET PLACE II did not disappoint.

All of us in our party had see the first installment. All of us had been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the story in that first film. Always suspecting the sequel will be lame, we didn’t venture into the theaters until we heard from critics and viewers that this second film was both consistent with the vibe of the first (did not lose its heart) yet deepened the overall tension. A third installment is being shot as I write.

I highly recommend you view the first film before going to the second. Here is my review of A QUIET PLACE

You can rent this first film on Amazon Prime for $3.99.

After which I highly recommend you view the second film and be prepared for a few jump-out-of-your-seat moments and a wonderful theater experience overall.