The sequel to 2018’s suspenseful surprise hit from debut director John Krasinski has begun production according to Deadline.
A Quiet Place 2 is also seeing a slight shift forward in the release slate, from May 15th to March 20th 2020, against Warner Bros.’ I Still Believe. Emily Blunt is confirmed to return, presumably leading the events of the sequel.
The original Paramount feature was a masters course in the trend towards microbudget thrillers, earning $341 million globally from a paltry $17 million budget and seeing Krasinski’s name rank alongside that of other promising independent directors pleasing both critics and box offices alike.
I’m of the opinion that there seems to be a certain shorthand for “indy film” which gets pretty obvious pretty quickly but I think that Krasinski did nail a few basic things down so well that A Quiet Place deserves to stand a bit more on its own; firstly, he understands that a good thriller need never be complicated. Nightmare logic almost always rules, be it that the floor is made of lava, if you sleep the monster will get you or if you make a sound, you will be decapitated by a giant insectile horror.
He also understood well that explanations often weaken a setup and smartly avoided as many of those as possible.
Thirdly and most importantly, he’s a surprisingly sharp observer of humans and can accurately portray the nuanced emotions that people can display, even in an otherworldly scenario. This combined with the relative novelty is why A Quiet Place will be remembered whereas the starpower of Bird Box or The Silence could not bring them anywhere close to that level. A strong bond and reason for survival like family hits home to most of us.
Using headshakingly over the top stakes like a woman trying to give birth silently while monsters prowled felt a little bit manipulative, but not so much that I wasn’t invested; good characters are things that you care about and the attentive extrapolation of the overall scenario (pouring sand where you walk, emergency lights, a purpose-built soundproof crib etc) are the hallmarks of a cared-for work of cinema. Time and thought went into this and it was appreciated.
I don’t think Krasinski is a master of his craft, nor is A Quiet Place a perfect movie by any stretch, but it is heartfelt and well built and I absolutely can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
What do you think, Wasteoids? Want to know what sorts of adventures the Abbott family will get into after the events of the first movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!