A little over a year ago when the movies closed for the pandemic, the movie that was set to open the following week was A Quiet Place Part II. I had greatly been anticipating its release, and I was deeply saddened when I found out that I was going to have to wait an uncertain amount of time before I would get the chance to see it, but the wait was definitely worth it. It was one of, if not the best, movie that I have seen this year, and being able to see it with a crowd, which continues to grow each week, made the experience all the better.
The movie starts out with the family's experience on the first day of the attack from the aliens, which was a totally engrossing start to the movie. Then it goes back to their present day. They were traveling to their neighbor’s house, who has had an incredibly hard experience and lost his family members. Emmett was extremely jaded and reluctant to help. While at Emmett’s house, Marcus finds a radio station that is playing a song, and Regan deciphers the code to find out where it was coming from. She decides to go and try to find it herself, but Emmett comes to the rescue and helps her out. They end up getting into some trouble along the way, and the rest of their family is also in peril back on the farm.
Having this movie coming out after the pandemic was very fitting. There were quite a few parallels between the alien invasion and the pandemic. One of which was the very isolating nature of the event. Everyone was separated into their family units or small groups, and that was it. The fires that the neighbors set signifying that they were okay were kind of like zoom meetings or Facebook posts of people letting each other know that although they were not together, they were surviving. Then the island nation represented a group of people that trusted each other enough to try and have life be normal again, and the sound that debilitates the aliens is basically the vaccine for the pandemic. So there were many parallels for a movie that was created well before the pandemic existed.
The main theme of this story was sacrifice and togetherness. The Abbott family is constantly making sacrifices for one another and for the greater good. This goes back to the last movie when Lee sacrificed himself to save his family, and in this film, Regan is inspired by her dad's sacrifice to seek out the island community, so she can share the sound that will help them win the war against the aliens. Emmett also makes a sacrifice when he decides to risk his life multiple times so that Regan can succeeded. Then the guy on the island who takes them to the radio station sacrifices himself to get them to the radio station, and while all this is happening Evelyn is risking her life for her family as well by getting them medical supplies. All of this is for the sake of togetherness, so that they can continue to be a family, and so that the world can get back to normal.
Experiencing this movie in a movie theater made it so much better, and the growing crowd at the movies also helped. The opening scene of the film showing the initial alien attack was so intense and the quietness was palpable. Being in a room filled with people and having it be completely silent as the people hid from the aliens is an indescribable experience that needs to be felt. There is so much suspense and anxiety built up in these moments, that the emotion that swells with in you when watching is masterful.
At the end of the movie, the heroes are Marcus and Regan. They both take massively brave steps and end up saving the adults around them. To me it represented the idea that is common in education, that kids are the future. The future would have been way bleaker in the world without them being willing to take massive steps in being brave. Their willingness to step out of their comfort zone and sacrifice saved the day.
This movie was amazing, and they do it all while having a monster that is terrifying and disgusting to view. When the face of the alien is doing the thing where it opens and shows the underlying surface is just beyond disgusting to me. They also have some gruesome injuries in this film, but the disgusting in this movie is better done than in movies like Saw. All the emotions and positive messaging that this film send were excellent. It was by far the best movie going experience I have had this year. The actors are great, and when the film ended, I was left wanting so much more. It was perfectly executed; I give it a 90. Go to the theaters and see it!!
New Rankings:
A Quiet Place Part II: 90
The Conjuring 2: 86
Cruella: 85
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