On Monday, May 24, 2021, I got an intensely exciting emotion that never happened during this pandemic. My local drive-in theater was about to show “A Quiet Place Part II”, a movie I was planning to see as my first movie theater trip since last March. I started to jump out of my skin alerting my parents in gracious joy. The film itself was my most anticipated 2020 film that got delayed to this year. I was anticipating to go to my local Regal theater that I dearly love to my heart, but like many, I do not feel comfortable yet. The drive-in theater to me was the perfect replacement because it had the same exact cinematic qualities I would get in a movie theater. There is a huge, ambitious screen, first-run theatrical movies are showing, and the anticipation of people coming, but instead in cars. On that very day, there were bright clouds of faith saw what was wrong with my schedule and saw that they could heal me to see the movie in a safe theatrical experience a.k.a. the drive-in theater.
When me and my poppa arrived at the drive-in theater, I was VERY surprised to not see a rambunctious line of cars as we pulled up because for a Saturday night, you would expect tons of people to show up for a hugely anticipated movie like “A Quiet Place Part II”, especially when it was making loads of money last weekend. As you can see from this scenario, we got in the drive-in theater unexpectedly fast! Since I did want to get a spot at the front row as there were obviously a lot of cars, we luckily found an excellent spot in the back row. The row we found there was incredibly vacant with not too many cars around.
At our parking spot, I was of course anxious and nervous going out for the first time during the pandemic in or out of a car. However, the greatest aspect about that feeling is that I was incredibly ecstatic at the same time because Krasinski’s sequel would be the perfect first movie back in a theatrical setting. When the gorgeous blue sky was about to start to prepare its sunset, this is when the excitement through my body truly began. I alongside my pops sat for the national anthem and saw four classic movie trailers before the film. We did not get the greatest gasp at the screen, but it was enough for us to see what was going on in the film. I was so grateful that my dad literally told me that everything was going to be okay giving me such a God-like comfort. It truly was an excellent and magical experience.
About the actual movie though, “A Quiet Place Part II” takes place right after the first as it follows Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Marcus (Noah Jupe) facing the terrors of the outside world instead of the inside world the first film exhibited. I would appreciate you guys go into this movie blind because you need to.
I have been championing John Krasinski ever since I experienced his directing talents in the highly underrated “The Hollars”. I absolutely dug his tension-filled direction in the first “A Quiet Place”, although it did miss my “Top 10 Best of 2018” list that year. Like many directors familiar with non-R-rated horror such as Tobe Hooper (“Poltergeist”) and recently Jacob Chase (directed the highly underrated “Come Play” from last year), Krasinski with the first film built so much tension from the looks of those monsters in such a Spielberg-like fashion. Think of something along the lines of “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park”. “A Quiet Place Part II” for me had some of his intense horror tropes, but unfortunately, they got boggled down for me to the point where Krasinski’s direction came off as safe without giving the characters enough high stakes.
Sure, Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy deliver fine performances, but Millicent Simmonds is who the true star of this sequel is because this is truly her movie and she does steal the show for sure. However, there is not enough aspects of Krasinski’s sequel to say that it is indeed memorable. Of course, I know there are tons of people who love and worship this sequel and that is totally okay. I just think it is a solid and passable sequel at best that left me wanting SO much more at the very end. Overall, I give the film a 6.75/10.
After we left the drive-in theater, I felt that I truly achieved something in my life like if I climbed up the enormous Mount Everest all the way. I hugged my mom (a.k.a. my angel) like a bear after I got out of the car because going to a theatrical showing for the first time since last year had such a special place in my heart. I will always believe especially after last Saturday, the greatest way to experience a movie is in a theatrical setting. Movie theaters to me will always be my second home. I congratulate to John Krasinski for saving the theatrical experience once and for all!
