A Quiet Place Part II Review

A Quiet Place Part II

Dir: John Krasinski

Starring: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, and John Krasinski

1 hr 37 min

 

In the beginning moments of John Krasinski's A Quiet Place Part II we are placed in the past, on Main Street somewhere in Small-town, U.S.A. The Abbott family gathers at a Little League game for Marcus (Noah Jupe), who tentatively stands in batting position while fastballs whiz past him. Lee (John Krasinski) arrives a little late to the game, having to stop at a general store for snacks before sitting atop the bleachers with his daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds). Suddenly, something strange happens; a large fiery object explodes and streaks across the cloudy skyline as the crowd scatters in confusion. Alien creatures crash onto the scene, smashing into vehicles and chasing down running humans. It's chaotic, scary, and emotional. It's also cinematic, a brilliantly executed introduction for this exciting sequel.   

 

In A Quiet Place, the tension-filled horror origin story, the Abbott's survived the creature invasion by building a shelter, growing their food, and using sign language (their oldest child Regan is deaf) to communicate with each other. The arrival of a newborn baby, a brilliant character to introduce into a world that is ultimately supposed to remain silent, and the domino effect of decisions that call the monsters into play leads the family to abandon their shelter. Lee, making the heroic sacrifice, saves his children from death by offering himself to the alien beings. 

 

A Quiet Place Part II takes place immediately following the events of the previous film. Evelyn (Emily Blunt) leads her children from their home and into the wilderness towards a signal fire that serves as the only beacon of hope for the mourning and traumatized family. Evelyn plays the role of sole protector for her family, carrying a newborn across her chest and trying to instill a level of comfort and safety for her older children. Emily Blunt is excellent in this role, combining emotions of disbelief and grief with grit and tenacity in the face of everything that is falling to pieces. 

 

Krasinski demonstrates with this film a keen understanding of horror characteristics and, most impressively, the expectations that smart movie fans have for the genre. On numerous occasions, Krasinski will indicate that a scare is coming, whether through framing, with the exceptional immersive sound design, or with a shadow that feels out of place. Then, just as the audience thinks they grasp what is coming or how it might present, the big scare will come from a different location or with a different emotional emphasis. 

 

Krasinski, who also wrote the film, does this manipulation of expectations with the narrative also. There is a sense of where this story is going, but figuring out how the start will meet the finish is composed of ingenious trips and traps. However, beyond these finely tuned moments of tension and terror is where Krasinski shines with the narrative, with the story of parents and children and the roles that shift and emerge as they continually grow in the apocalyptic landscape. The young actors Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe do a great job of embodying their characters' contrasting emotions at the beginning of the film. Where one is strong-willed and impulsive, the other is timid and cautious. As the film moves into a place where the children must fight for their future, the young characters become the focus of the action. It's an interesting transition that separates the sequel from its predecessor.

 

A Quiet Place Part II has a few noise-induced jump scares but again establishes its horror focus with a motive of tension-building driven by character and the bonds formed between them. There are only a few moments when the film loses track of its emotional core, mainly when the family must separate, but Krasinski masks this issue by ramping up the action and tension. When three separate stories converge during the finale, it's wholly cinematic and will have you on the edge of your seat. 

Monte's Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

A Quiet Place Review

A Quiet Place

Dir: John Krasinski

Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds

If you live in or near the city, go outside and listen to the world. There is constantly some kind of noise humming about in the atmosphere. When you venture into nature or far outside of the city limits, the quiet can be comforting. However, I also think that it can be somewhat unnerving and lonesome. 

Silence is a powerful tool in cinema, it can heighten a scene of drama, play a critical role for a punchline in comedy, or rattle the nerves in horror films. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of using silence to heighten suspense to effectively craft perfect horror scenes. Think about the moments of silence in “Psycho” or the wordless moment in “The Man Who Knew Too Much”; Hitchcock understands that silence, in its many different forms, is one of the most effective tools in a filmmakers skill set.

John Krasinski, famously of “The Office” television show, writes and directs the new horror film “A Quiet Place”. Playing with silence as the tool for tension, Mr. Krasinski crafts an exceptional horror film that utilizes an effective arrangement of classic horror movie tropes and setups to make a simplistic premise pulse with suspense.

Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt), like most parents, only want to protect their kids Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds) from the perils of the world; however the world they live in makes this a very difficult task. This family, who communicate with sign language and walk barefoot through their desolate home in the forest, has survived the threat of extinction at the hands of unstoppable creatures who hunt with heightened sound awareness, forcing the family to live in silence.

The easy premise here may sound somewhat one note, another creature feature with people running panicked from a destructive force; however, Mr. Krasinski composes this film with such precision that you almost forget that the whole concept revolves around the aspect of survival. What makes it so engaging, which in turn makes the tension and suspense work so effectively, is the construction of the family dynamic, the drama that engages the family to function with some kind of normalcy in an situation that is far from normal. The brother and sister quarrel, the husband and wife share romantic moments, and the parent and child relationship is filled with growing pains; when danger comes and these moments are interrupted with aspects of sound, the terror is palpable and the concern for the well being of the family is real. Krasinski composes the film with a clear understanding of how and why fear has such a grasp on people.

The design of the film is also quite effective, in particular the sound design which is a mix of subtle and sharp moments that heighten the scenes with suspense. Understanding that the creatures hunt by what they hear, the director utilizes this aspect to toy with the viewer, leading them to predict what might happen which is often times the worst case scenario. 

Krasinski and Blunt, who are married in real life, imbue the film with emotion and heart. The children, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, also help with grounding the narrative structure here, being the catalyst that promotes jump into action many times. 

All the best horror films understand that fear is more than scary monsters, it’s a culmination of different emotions that contribute to the power that fear has over the mind. “A Quiet Place” effectively plays with this aspect of emotion in clever ways through the character design, the sound elements and secluded atmosphere of the film, which help in crafting some truly exciting and terror-filled moments. 

Monte’s Rating

4.25 out of 5.00

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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Review

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Dir: Michael Bay

Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Max Martini, David Costabile, Alexia Barlier, and Toby Stephens

On September 11^th, 2012 a group of heavily armed militants from Libya attacked a United State’s diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The group quickly overwhelmed the compound and set fire to the buildings and later launched mortar rounds at a secret C.I.A. compound that was within a few miles of the first attack. U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three Americans were killed in the attacks. This tragic event is the inspiration for director Michael Bay’s new film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”, based from the novel by Mitchell Zuckoff, which includes accounts from the security contractors that were working with the C.I.A. during the attacks, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi”. Michael Bay, a director known for his boisterous, excessive, and overindulgent style, tackles this heroic, chaotic story with less identifying flair than he typically expels, though that’s not saying very much considering the directors excessive tendencies. This demonstration displays many of Mr. Bay’s strengths but also his glaring weaknesses, this both helps and hinders  “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”.

Former Navy Seal Jack Silva (John Krasinski) arrives in the heat of Benghazi and is greeted by an old acquaintance Tyrone “Rone” Woods (James Badge Dale). Jack is the new member to a security team of former elite military operatives tasked with protecting C.I.A. agents hoping to assist in the restructuring of Libya. Benghazi is dangerous, filled with weapon carrying citizens and roaming militant squads. Jack and his team protect a compound called the Annex and escort C.I.A. operatives to meetings with different influential figures. Things take a turn for the worse when a nearby U.S. diplomatic compound is attacked, forcing the team to take action in order to save lives and stay alive.

Michael Bay understands how to construct an action film; big explosions over big special effects combined with dynamic photography and breakneck editing; it can be difficult to completely register what is going on at times but it’s also strangely hypnotic, mind-numbingly so. Regardless of how one may feel about these extremes, the director is one of the best at utilizing them. Mr. Bay has scaled back these elements within “13 Hours” but his distinctive signatures still permeate in many moments, unfortunately in one dramatic instant it’s used in the absolute worst way. Once the build-up ends and the action takes over completely, Mr. Bay keeps the tension high and the action quick and frenzied by utilizing a mix of first-person perspective photography, wide angle establishing shots, constant flashes of gun fire, and violence that is rapid and in a few moments graphically rendered.

With Mr. Bay operating with a little more restraint, it offers an opportunity for more character developments to shine through. The introduction allows ample time to get to know these brave men operating in a system that doesn’t quite except or appreciate them, for instance the director of the C.I.A. compound consistently talks down and berates these men’s lifestyle and purpose. Unfortunately most of the structure avoids the deeper angles, like the enemies these men fight both in the smoky fields and abandoned buildings that surround the compound and those operating on the American side miles away, safe and sound, watching the conflict in front of a computer. The film opts for the simplified version of dedicated men doing a dangerous job, the only offering of insight comes when these soldiers are given little moments to communicate with family via video or during down time between gun fights to talk about life away from the battle, but these moments come as secondary filler flashes instead of being purposefully designed. This underutilization of character building lessens the emotional aspects that could have allowed a greater connection to these characters.

John Krasinski is exceptional here, crafting a character that is professionally focused but also wholly aware and affected by the risk he is taking. James Badge Dale, playing the team leader, and Pablo Schreiber, playing the smart aleck of sorts, are also very good in their roles throughout.

“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” doesn’t tell the most cohesive story and the characters lack the nuance that would provide them greater emotional connection.   However, underneath the excesses of Michael Bay’s filmmaking style, restrained yet still obviously noticeable here, is a film about heroes and the dedication, responsibility, and self-sacrifice that define their commitment to America. Mr. Bay never sways from this fundamental purpose, even if his indulgent filmmaking signature still shares, sometimes overshadows, the spotlight.

Monte’s Rating

3.00 out of 5.00