A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

Rule one of horror: never split up. A Quiet Place Part II splits the family up for its back half anyway, and every cut between them leaks a little tension. This one wanders, and a few new people show up just long enough to make you wish they’d stuck around, Djimon Hounsou especially. The monsters’ weak spots also feel awfully convenient the more places the story goes. But the opening is a knockout: a flashback to day one at a small-town Little League game, and it’s the scariest stretch in either film. Millicent Simmonds takes the lead as Regan and earns it, smart and stubborn and brave. Cillian Murphy plays Emmett as a man who has already given up, which gives the story somewhere to go. Emily Blunt does a lot with less to do. It made $297.4 million worldwide on a reported $55M. A 7.4 because the setups are great and the sequel spreads itself thin. $60.77 says you flip through radio stations on your next drive, half hoping one is playing the same song on a loop.

What works: The day-one flashback is a terrific piece of suspense, and Millicent Simmonds carries the film with confidence.

What doesn’t: Splitting the family weakens the tension, new characters like Djimon Hounsou’s barely get a scene, and the monsters’ weaknesses feel too convenient.

Who it’s for: Fans of the first film who want more of that silent dread, and horror fans who like suspense more than shocks.