From a trailer, I got the impression that this was actually a prequel. Turns out only the opening scene is a flashback to the day the blind but nearly invincible killer aliens arrived in the main family's hometown. (No, it's not just an excuse to show writer-director and former lead actor John Krasinski again.) After that, it picks up right where the predecessor left off, more than a year later.
At that point, the only known survivors are mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and three of her kids, but at least they have found the aliens' sonic weakness. They head out of their, y'know, quiet place to look for other live humans. The first they find is an old friend of the family, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who has given up on the future of humanity and refuses to host them for long in his foundry shelter. When deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) learns of an offshore active radio station, she hopes to weaponize it against the aliens. Not trusting her mother to approve, she sets out on a one-day journey alone. Evelyn persuades Emmett to go after her. The party keeps splitting without adequate protection....
Unsurprisingly, there is more vocal communication than before, and not just in the flashback. After all, not everyone speaks sign language, and Emmett isn't the last human they'll encounter. Alas, he warns that most others have gotten quite unneighborly in their desperation to survive, so aliens aren't the only threat.
It's also worth noting that there are more aliens in the area than previously estimated. Just a few, but even one can rack up quite a body count in seconds. If not for quick cutaways, the rating would surely be R. And while the aliens can't swim worth a lick, they have enough intelligence that island dwellers shouldn't get too comfortable.
In terms of horror sequel scariness and worthiness, I put this in the same category as Aliens. Sure, there's no more suspense about how the monster looks, and the humans have some idea of how to handle it, but the danger level is about the same. At least, the survivors come similarly close to death. Still lots of jump scares, thankfully not the cheap kind enhanced by unrealistic sounds or speed. I can certainly sense the same talent behind the first AQP.
Will I watch next year's Part III? Maybe. I'll skip Day One, partly because a long form of the opener might depress me. But Part II was a fine choice.
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