Film Review: ‘A Quiet Place II’ is No Echo, But a Sonic Boom of a Sequel

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CHICAGO – The horror genre gets a bad rap but in many ways, they’ve earned it. That’s not to say that every horror film is inherently bad, but at the smallest sign of financial/critical success, the studios will try to franchise it like it’s an IHOP. For example, let’s look at the cautionary tale known as the Saw franchise, which recently released a film that likely none of you saw.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The first two films were a revelation for the genre, combining gore but with a purpose. It was clever in its own sadistic way, while making us question our morals (or sometimes the lack thereof). If it would have stopped there, we could be looking back fondly on this film series and comment on how recent films have tried to recreate their spark but failed miserably. Instead, it’s like cinematic herpes that flares up every few years to remind you it’s still going strong.

As a guy I only went on 1 date with because he wouldn’t stop talking about how obsessed he was with Christopher Nolan once quoted to me, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” My previous bad taste in men notwithstanding, he had a point, especially when it comes to horror dynasties like Saw, that continue to churn out films with diminishing returns. Then again, there are special cases that tell a compelling enough story to earn a second visit, and A Quiet Place 2 proves to be worth another vacation stay.

Click here for Jon Espino’s full review of “A Quiet Place II”

Photo credit: Paramount

Click here for Jon Espino’s full review of “A Quiet Place II”