Krasinski does it again, crafting a sequel to his surprise hit horror thriller that maintains the near constant tension of the original while building on the characters and world the Abbots inhabit and offering even more creature scares and kills. Yes, there are jump scares, but they make perfect sense in context of the surprise they provide for characters and they definitely got me good a couple of times. Sound design is once again key and I love the way that it shifts throughout the film, at times background noise cutting out completely when we are meant to be experiencing something entirely from the deaf daughter's point of view. Simmonds and Jupe rock their roles as the Abbot kids with challenges of their own to face. In a film that has less Emily Blunt than you might expect, seeing the growth of the chidren and their arcs was extremely satisfying. Cillian Murphy, a personal favorite who I think is incredibly talented and underrated, is awesome and provides a great kinda-sorta replacement for the deceased Lee Abbot, going on his own emotional journey throughout. The film is paced beautifully, leaving you almost surprised when it's all over, but relieved that you can finally breathe.

Breaking up the family and sending them on different paths throughout the trope-heavy apocalyptic world story may be hit and miss for viewers, but it didn't bother me too much. What did upset me, though, is the film's abrupt ending. While the first film did the exact same thing, it felt differently in the context of that being a self-contained and very intimate story in this small dangerous world revolving around the Abbots. With the expansion of characters and ideas, getting no resolution at all for any of them is extremely unsatisfying. It felt like a cliffhanger at the end of an episode of TV, but without the tease of what might come in the future. There is just... nothing. Big bummer of a way to walk out despite having loved the 90 minutes before.

Oh, there is also a pretty great opening 10 minutes or so of prequel storytelling that I thought was shot very well. It provided some great background about the start of the invasion (?) and how the small town dealt with it. I'd love if they continue to show more about that in future films. And I do still hope there are more because this is one of the most fresh new series in years and still has the potential to get even better.

2021 Awards Cycle Ranked

Click here to listen to my spoiler-free discussion on Feelin' Film Podcast