Last year, we had “A Quiet Place Part II” scheduled for a screening, looking forward to seeing what came after the first suspenseful and well-liked movie. Unfortunately, shortly afterward, we all know what happened as a two-week lockdown started and cinemas worldwide were shut down. Now that theaters are reopening with limited attendance, the film’s release will be an important sign of whether audiences are ready to return to cinemas or if they'll wait to watch it later on Paramount+. The movie begins by showing the day everything changed for the world as Lee (John Krasinski) goes shopping while news reports describe an explosion in Shanghai. Enjoying the weather, he joins his family at a Little League game and talks with his friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy) when a huge fireball appears in the sky, interrupting the game. As they head home, the city comes under attack by dangerous creatures, and Lee and his family barely escape. The film then jumps right after the end of the first movie, and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) tries to lead her newborn son, daughter Regan (Millicent Simmons), and son Marcus (Noah Jupe) to a safer place. When Marcus is hurt on their journey, Evelyn finds shelter with Emmett, who isn’t happy about having to care for others after losing his wife. Even though they have a secure location in a foundry, he insists the family leave the next day. After an unexpected radio signal appears, Regan decides she needs to go and find out where it's coming from because she knows that the frequency of her Cochlear Implant is a weapon against the creatures, and she believes if this can be broadcasted and shared, then humanity has a chance to fight back and win. What follows is a very captivating and intense story as Regan and Emmett try to complete their mission while Evelyn and her family face all kinds of dangers trying to survive. The film builds on what made the first movie so good: strong characters you can relate to and some extremely tense situations. The screening we saw was so quiet that you could tell audience members were completely absorbed, too scared to make a sound. The film increases the action and expands the world without losing any of the character-based elements or relying too much on computer graphics. John Krasinski wrote, directed, and produced the film, and even though he has less screen time than in the original movie, it’s one of those rare sequels that stands well on its own and actually improves upon what came before. My only problem with the film was that the ending felt rushed and left me wondering about several things. This would be fine if we knew there would be a third film to answer these questions; however, I hear they’re developing a spin-off instead, so hopefully this will resolve my concerns or at least work alongside a potential third installment. For now, “A Quiet Place Part II” demonstrates why we need the movie theater experience because from the big screen to the Dolby Atmos sound, it's a sensory event that needs to be enjoyed in a group setting with maximum input. The film cranks up the tension and never lets you down, and I suggest you see this film as it was intended. 4.5 stars out of 5

Source on TMDB