A Quiet Place 2 praised as "effective and engrossing follow-up" in first reactions

The original A Quiet Place received critical acclaim, and Part II looks to be a rare sequel that is as good as its predecessor, with the first reviews placing it as 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The cast, in particular, were praised, with first film standout Millicent Simmonds singled out yet again, while the addition Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy as troubled old friend Emmett was also seen as a highlight.

However, the key part of any horror is the build-up of suspense - and despite the film moving away from a single location and showing us much more of the blind beasties, Kraskinski has been praised for his mature direction and attention to detail.

Alonso Duralde of The Wrap said: "the actor-turned-filmmaker has grown in confidence and skill, creating a sequel that’s at least as riveting if not more so than its predecessor", while Peter Debruge of Variety agreed that "there’s no denying the beardy “Office” star’s ingenuity behind the camera".

Tim Grierson of Screen Daily also stated that this follow-up improved on the original by "expanding its world slightly without losing sight of the elements that made the original so effective, this superb piece of mainstream horror filmmaking is bolstered by some terrific performances, most notably Millicent Simmonds."

Despite being a tense horror, the family drama proves to be just as effective, with David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter pointing out how "the intimacy of the storytelling tugs relentlessly at our anxieties for the duration", while Vinnie Mancuso of Collider goes as far to say that "the way Krasinski manages to build visual chaos with such a vivid human core at its center suggests A Quiet Place actually has the staying power of a major modern horror epic."

However some critics weren't quite as convinced, with Ian Freer at Empire praising the performance of Simmonds and the direction of Krasinski but writing that: "A Quiet Place Part II might lack the smarts and novelty of its predecessor."

Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian too agreed that "this sequel from writer-director John Krasinski may not quite have all its focus and intimate horror, while the borrowings from Alien, Jurassic Park and Jaws are admittedly more obvious this time around."

However, he added: "But it’s a really effective and engrossing follow-up, with an absolutely sensational “prelude” sequence at the top of the movie, a barnstorming shocker equal to anything in AQP1."

The film wasn't a hit with all critics, however, with some highlighting that the sequel fails to build upon the original in a meaningful way.

In his two-star review, Den of Geek's Don Kaye praised the cast but ultimately said: "A Quiet Place Part II, which on the surface is a tense and often effective ride, gets dragged down like its predecessor by the thinness of its story and its world-building. That and the actions of the characters, who once again do everything possible to put themselves in danger.”

Kevin Maher of The Times also found the sequel a far cry from the original, adding that everything tense and emotionally affecting from the first movie "has become repetitive, dramatically flabby and emotionally empty in this cruelly limited follow-up."

A Quiet Place Part II is released in cinemas on 4th June, 2021 in the UK.

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