They hobble their way towards an abandoned iron foundry where Emmett (Murphy), an old friend, has fashioned himself a solitary fortress. Later, during a baseball game, fireballs scrape across the sky. In one of several accidental nods to our current crises – the film was ready for release before “all this” started – friends and neighbours have gathered around the television to calmly ponder a catastrophe that is happening a long way away. (Is A Night at the Opera the least Covid-friendly film?) Anyone familiar with the first movie will be similarly disconcerted by the prospect of Krasinski, back for an extended cameo, battering and clashing his way about the local store as if giant superhearing lizard-things weren’t lurking at every corner.
Over the past year, we’ve all been made uncomfortable by films that pack actors together in small spaces with no ventilation. The most significant change of tone comes in a superb opening sequence that takes us back to the day of the invasion. “More of the same” has rarely been carried off with such elan. Cillian Murphy proves an excellent addition to the team. The cast continue to throw themselves at the material with admirable gusto. The set-ups are every bit a tense as before. But as a continuation of the original it can hardly be faulted. Anyone hoping for some vast expansion or deep digging into unexplored subtext is likely to be a tad disappointed by the sequel to John Krasinski’s terrific 2018 horror film about a world that doesn’t dare to cough audibly.
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