In a hospice outside New York City, terminally ill cancer patient Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) begrudgingly joins a group of patients off to the Big Apple on the proviso she is able to get a New York slice. Once there, however, a meteor shower lights up the sky, and alien creatures start attacking anything and anyone that makes a noise.

The original A Quiet Place (2018) was set on a farm and viewed through the intimate lens of a young, small family. A Quiet Place Part II (2020) expanded the environment slightly, introducing a few more characters while advancing the main story, our characters, and world-building. This entry not only takes us back to the aliens’ day of first contact, but it migrates the setting over to New York City with the main focus on two brand new leads.

Lupita Nyong’o gives a solid performance of a woman who, quite understandably, wants to go her own way. While the majority of New Yorkers are trying to escape the island, Samira simply wants to live her remaining moments with quiet contemplation, including trips that remind her of happier times. Irritatingly, however, the shell-shocked Irish lawyer Eric (Joseph Quinn), who just wants to get home, is hard to shake and soon forces Samira to reconsider her values.

It is a shame that this entry does not extend the main story, that of the main protagonists, nor the aliens mythology, who serve as background characters here.

Verdict: A strong character study at the expense of the antagonists and main story. 3.5 stars.

Luke McWilliams, www.themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.