SPOILERS DOWN THE PATH; THE DISCUSSION BELOW WILL NOT BE COMPREHENSIVE WITHOUT IT.
TREAD CAREFULLY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
From the same writer-director of the 2018's smash-hit blockbuster, comes the very sequel to A Quiet Place! The film starts off Day 1 before the world goes dark. We are introduced to the one new principal character to this world early on, in the form of Emmett (Cillian Murphy). The evolution is natural, as we witness the calm before the storm, families in a small town gathering for a baseball game, cancelling said game in hurry before the communal panic and chaos ensues!
Of course, the first question everyone asks and the first answer everyone wants to know: Is this sequel as good as the original? The answer is to that is yes, but just barely coming in at bottom. Is it a necessary sequel? No. Is it a fantastic sequel? Absolutely fucking yes! Back to Day 1, we see how this fresh experience naturally teaches everybody in town especially our protagonist on the importance of being quiet. Splitting Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) into two cars is a genius way of inducing two protagonists! And before we know it, we are back to where the first story ended. While the reason as to why the family's moving out of their home is unclear since their dwelling, crops and belongings are all there in a well-setup for this apocalypse, the journey is fascinating. Just like A Quiet Place, since the sequel here is all silent, we purely rely on the moving images aka motion picture to tell us the story. Train powder ending where the rustle of leaves start and fellow human's presence shown via a fire bucket are examples.
Some of the horror is superbly nerve-wracking! Evelyn's leg stuck on a trip wire leading her pack to run for their lives before Marcus' (Noah Jupe) foot clenched by a bear trap on top of the newborn baby wailing, alien extending its arm into the vacuum tube almost ripping the trio apart, Marcus and his baby brother stuck in a vacuum tunnel with no oxygen to consume leading the former to do something we thought is morally devastating initially, Regan's (Millicent Simmonds) approached by an alien in an abandoned train, Regan and Emmett caught between feral humans and Evelyn barely escaping the alien at her front are the instances! The only times where the tension falters are during the presence of the 'solution' to kill the aliens, because you know the characters have no reason to run when that tool guarantees a relatively easy and predictable solve! Thankfully it's absent for the major parts!
The finale is a surprise, given that we are revealed an island housing survivors! We learn new information that the aliens can't swim, so it didn't make it there. But of course, it doesn't take long for shit to hit the fan before Regan blesses the world with her solution, allowing the goal to finally surface... and the film concludes! This is a good segue into one of the aspects that drag the picture's weight down. It feels incomplete. And the main reason why it feels that way is because the characters are still separated at the end, as we are expecting them to be reunited before the end credits show up. Secondly, the plot's goal and the achievement of it only becomes clear at the end as well. Thirdly and this is probably the most minor of the three, we didn't see enough of Day 1 as in how Lee's family finished their escape. But with these being said, it's a consolation to know there will be a Part III since the denouement is for sure deliberately written this way for the gaps to be filled by a continuation.
Furthermore, plots with a single path often times is more impactful than the ones with branching plot threads, due to the former having a more focused goal. Branching plot threads could sometimes be done to mask the lack of content, which is slightly prevalent here. While Evelyn has a purpose to be out of her safety, her son Marcus roaming around the factory happens just because. The same can be said about Regan losing her equipment. It's only a momentary smokescreen, not a meaningful failure that changes her course of action afterwards (although you could argue it does reveal Emmett's potential good side).
Sound design once again shines! Not only have the makers utilized it well to deliver the heightened tension, it's there to make you hear what and how the characters hear. Completely muted sound to represent Regan's perspective plus the jump scares such as sudden horn blares and ambushes are examples. Speaking of jump scares, the monster surprise trailing of the car hits hard! You'll spot many Easter eggs linking to the first film such as the movie opening up in a local convenience store; the same store where Lee and Evelyn's child picks up a toy plane that costs his life in the opening of the original, and the infamous nail Evelyn steps on! Oh Evelyn, what a powerhouse performer Emily Blunt is! The way she cries in silence or asks her son to breathe in and relax gives high emotional impact! Cillian Murphy as the selfish survivor goes through a good arc. Good, not great arc. His enunciated conversation with Regan is well acted and shot by the way!