Wow! What a deifference a week makes. Last week, our theatre was nearly empty. Today, the theatre was quite full; it seemed almost like pre COVID times! It looked like every group of viewers had only one “socially distanced” space between them. Many people were excited to see John Krasinski’s follow-up to his successful “A Quiet Place,” and so were Bill and I. This was a very worthy sequel! Emily Blunt, playing Evelyn Abbott once again, gives an amazing performance as a mother trying to keep her three children (including a baby) alive in a world overrun with aliens whose goal seems to be to utterly destroy the human race. The catch is that these aliens are basically blind but have super=sensitive hearing. Any small sound is enough to alert them-even from a good distance away! In order to survive, people must stay quiet. Abbott has even found a way to keep her baby quiet with a pretty ingenious “pacifer.” If you didn’t see the first movie, no worries. John Krasinski gives you a little recap of how this whole thing started. He creates a dystopian sort of post-alien massacre world where isolated humans can only eke out a meagre, desparate existence. In this movie, Blunt meets up with Cillian Murphy, a family friend, who reluctantly agrees to help them. The two kids, played by Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, give gut-wrentching performaces as the two older kids. A favorite of mine, Djimon Hounsu makes an unfortunately short appearance. I found this movie highly suspenseful, keeping me on the edge of my seat for the entire time. If you enjoyed the first movie, you will love this one too. If you didn’t see the first one, you won’t be disappointed with this sequel!
A Quiet Place
Finally after a short string of less than great movies, John Krasinski and his wife, Emily Blunt, star in a horror movie that is tense, suspenseful, but not chock full of cliche! Krasinski also directed and co-wrote “A Quiet Place,” which reminded me alot of movies like “Cloverfield” and “Signs”. However, this movie has a creative spin that you just don’t expect in today’s movies. There is very little dialogue spoken, because to do so, means instant death! Apparently some strange alien creatures have come to earth. They can’t see and are outfitted with inpenetrable armour, but they have supersensitive hearing. As long as you stay quiet, you are safe. Speak, or make more than the tiniest noise, and you will find how fast these creatures can move to where you are! In this day and age of super special effects and unending noise, it is kind of nice to watch a movie where you must be focused on the screen. Look down at your phone and you might miss a key scene or cue. The quietness of the movie (there are sounds and a bit of dialogue) will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think you should give it a chance. I almost gave “A Quiet Place” a golden apple but I didn’t care for one key scene, even though I understand the reasons for it. If you are looking for a quiet, tense little triller, look no further!