A Quiet Place, Part II (2021) * *

Directed by:  John Krasinski

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

There wasn't much about 2018's A Quiet Place which required a sequel, except that it was a box-office smash.   The plot, about aliens who track and kill if their prey makes too much noise, is not much expounded upon here.   The aliens, who resemble Venom in appearance, lie in wait for those unfortunate souls who scream in agony after stepping into a bear trap.   The characters spend a lot of time shooshing each other.   There were kids in the audience at the screening I attended who didn't follow this advice.

A Quiet Place, Part II begins at the dawn of the alien invasion.   An ordinary little league game in a small town is interrupted by alien ships appearing in the sunny skies above.   The aliens don't waste time and invade, leaving Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn (Blunt) to light out for the hills to safety.   Lee was devoured by an alien in the first film, and his cameo and mini-prequel opening aren't necessary, but set up his deaf daughter's hero worship of him which motivates her to find a way to destroy the aliens. 

While Evelyn and her two other children, including the baby she famously delivered in a bath tub without screaming in the original film, hide out in an abandoned factory, Regan (Simmonds) and family friend Emmett (Murphy) go on a quest to trace the signal to a faraway radio station which plays Beyond the Sea as a hint to its location.   This radio station could hold the key to the downfall (or at least the escape from) the aliens.  Why the folks don't simply speak on the radio to explain where their hideout is not the type of question one should ask if they want to enjoy A Quiet Place, Part II.

Evelyn and company continue to walk around barefoot even though one character stepped on a nail in the first film and another steps on a bear trap in this one.   Maybe shoes add a slight chance of making a little more noise, but I'd take that over a nail, shards of glass, splinters, or burning the soles of your feet on the hot concrete.   The other characters wear work boots and sneakers and appear no worse for wear.   

I suppose the minutiae of A Quiet Place, Part II wouldn't irk me if the movie itself weren't simply a high-concept horror film in which ugly creatures jump out at you, chase you, or chomp on you.   Krasinski doesn't develop the story as much as produce a retread.   It is strongly made from a technical standpoint and the Murphy and Simmonds performances stand out, but we've seen this movie before.   

When I watch the overly abundant shots of characters' bare feet, I was reminded of the joke in which two salesmen are sent to a territory in which the inhabitants don't wear shoes.   One salesman called his boss and says, "There is no opportunity here, they don't wear shoes,"   The other salesman called his boss and says, "Plenty of opportunity here.  They don't wear shoes!"