A Quiet Place 2 was one of the first films to fall victim to the coronavirus outbreak as it was pulled from the schedule weeks before it was due to be released. This movie already received high praise from early screenings which have fans even more eager to check out the anticipated sequel.
The film looks to pick up right after the events of the first film with Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) leading her children through the dangerous world occupied by sound-sensitive monsters. The first film was such an inventive and exciting thriller, we hope the sequel can live up to its legacy. Here are some of the things we hope to see in A Quiet Place 2 and some things we could do without.
Hope To See: The World At Large
The first film threw the audience into this world in which humanity has been nearly wiped out by these alien creatures. Given the concept of the film, going with a smaller story was smart and backstory of how this came to be felt unnecessary.
Now that the story is continuing, it would be good for the film to fill in the blanks about how the world became like this and what the overall state of humanity is now. From the looks of the trailers, the movie will be delivering on this aspect.
Could Do Without: Bigger Scope
While it would be nice to know how the rest of the world was affected by the arrival of these creatures, that doesn’t mean the central story has to get any bigger. As brilliant as the concept for the first film was, the characters were really the heart of the story.
A simple setting about a small group of survivors allows for a more personal story to be told. We know Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsou will be new additions to the cast. Hopefully, aside from them, the scope of the film remains intimate and thus more powerful.
Hope To See: More About The Monsters
The monsters in the first film represent an ever-present threat to the main characters, but we don’t know much about them. We get the basics of the fact that they track prey through sound, and in the end, we learn they have a weakness.
If the creatures are going to continue to terrorize our heroes, knowing more about them would probably make them a more interesting threat. It looks like we’ll get to see the start of their invasion which will likely include some interesting reveals. It will also be interesting to see how the new-found weakness is being used against them.
Could Do Without: More Monster Action
It’s common for sequels to go for the bigger and more than the previous film. It wouldn’t be too surprising if this film decided to ramp up the action with more monsters and more action scenes. However, that would be a disappointing direction to take.
This sequel does not need to be like Aliens, turning the concept into a full-blown action movie. As the title suggests, the story succeeds not due to the action but due to the silence in between. Yes, we want scares, but not at the cost of a solid human story.
Hope To See: Regan The Hero
Millicent Simmonds was a standout from the first film as Regan Abbott. Regan, the hearing-impaired daughter of Evelyn and Lee, played by real-life couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, was very much the center of the film and the arc we follow through this story.
Given what happens at the end of the first film, it will be interesting to see where the character goes from here. Though Emily Blunt is the big-name star of the film, we hope Regan is given a central role again and that this time she can really embrace her hero role.
Could Do Without: More John Krasinski
Not only did John Krasinski do an amazing job directing the first film, but he also gave an excellent performance as Lee Abbott. Lee is seen as a man desperate to ensure his family’s safety at all costs. He succeeds in this mission, but it sadly results in his death which was an incredibly powerful moment.
Krasinski is a big-name and since he’s back behind the camera for this sequel, it’s probably not surprising that he appears in flashbacks as well. Hopefully, this is used sparingly. If Krasinski gets too much screen time, it could lessen the impact of Lee’s death from the first film.
Hope To See: Badass Blunt
Quite surprisingly, Emily Blunt has become one of the best action stars working today. She has multiple badass roles under her belt already and even got to showcase some of those skills in the first film. We’d love to see that side of her character expanded on in the sequel.
Evelyn Abbott might not be a typical action hero, but with her family on the line, she is able to step up and kick a lot of monster butt. With new characters being added to the sequel, hopefully, Evelyn will still be the hero at the story’s center.
Could Do Without: New Love Interest
It’s unclear what role Cillian Murphy will be playing in the sequel, but he appears to be a new ally of the Abbotts. Murphy is a very gifted actor and it’s exciting to have him a part of this franchise. However, they need to be careful about how his character is used.
It looks like Murphy and Blunt will be the main focus of the film which has us afraid there will be a romantic subplot between them. This would seem very forced in a story like this and it would be another thing that could really hurt the impact of Lee’s death.
Hope To See: A New Direction
Hollywood gets a lot of criticism for its lack of original ideas and its overreliance on sequels. It seems like everything that is remotely successful gets a follow-up and some stories just don’t need to continue.
A Quiet Place was a clever concept that was executed expertly. The sequel needs to offer more than that. Krasinski came back to direct for a reason, so hopefully, that means they found a new direction to take the story in that won’t just be repeating the same thing we saw the first time.
Could Do Without: Betraying The Premise
Watching A Quiet Place in a packed theater was a truly unique cinematic experience. The lack of sound made every moment ripe with tension and unlike any film of its kind. It is a bold move to create a mainstream horror film with almost no dialogue.
The trailers for the sequel suggest that the level of silence might not be upheld. With new characters and various flashbacks, there’s a fear that the sequel will forget what made the sequel so special. Hopefully, the premise is not betrayed and we get to have that amazing experience again.
