Critics are high on A Quiet Place Part II, meh on Westworld season 3

There are some big opening coming this March. Next weekend, HBO debuts the third season of its ambitious sci-fi epic Westworld, about what might happen if robots gain sentience and decide to wipe us all out. And the following weekend, we can take ourselves to the theater to see A Quiet Place Part II, John Krasinski’s follow-up to his 2018 horror hit about a post-apocalyptic world where everyone must be very, very quiet lest they attract the attention of the murderous bug monsters who have claimed the world as their own.

Critics have gotten a chance to look at both of these titles, and impressions are coming in. Let’s start with A Quiet Place, because you always want to put your best foot forward, right?

To put it simply, people who have seen the new movie seem to think it’s tense, dense, emotional and well-acted, as good as the first film if not better. Sign me up.

Part II will follow the Abbott family, now led by matriarch Evelyn (Emily Blunt) as they leave the (relative) safety of the little compound where the first film was set and venture into the ravaged world outside. A newborn must make things especially complicated, infants not known for being quiet on command, and I’m sure newcomers Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou will mix things up. But honestly, with a movie like this, I think it’s better to go in not knowing much about the plot. Vague effusive praise is enough for me:

So good on the Quiet Place team! How about Westworld?

Westworld came hot out of the gate in 2016 and impressed people with its sophisticated engagement with science fiction topics. What makes us human? Where is the revolution in AI going? Then season 2 came along, and a lot of people — okay, me — thought the show buried itself in jargon and pretension that obscured what made it interesting in the first place. Can season 3 turn things around?

Well, there’s a change of scenery coming. Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) has escaped the titular theme park and is out in the human world, intent on bringing it down with the help of some new friends, including working joe Caleb (Aaron Paul). But according to the critics, change isn’t always a good thing. Here’s Jennifer Bisset of CNET:

"Westworld succeeds in offering thought-provoking ideas about the world, its design and whether our narratives are prewritten. But now that we’ve left the theme park and its blend of philosophy, violence, nudity and cowboy outfits, there’s a touch of hollowness and disenchantment to the expansive, neon-lined vistas of an LA dystopia."

And here’s Daniel D’Addario of Variety:

"[I]n becoming a totally fine action serial, “Westworld” has taken a significant step back from being great. In its convolutions and its grand grasping curiosity, “Westworld” used its story to examine, and to try to show, what it feels like to live through seismic changes in our understanding of the consciousness. The first four episodes of its rebooted self are about making competent, well-structured TV. It’s hard not to miss a show whose flaws, emanating as they did from a passionate need to be understood and desire to understand, were so deeply human, and that have been so smoothly elided in favor of a gently humming piece of story machinery, something that’s that much closer to robot."

And then there’s this intriguing jab from Ben Travers of IndieWire: “If you’re simplifying the maze, you have to make the streamlined journey a little more fun–and Westworld, like a farm boy with no rhythm, just doesn’t know how to cut loose.” What do you have against farmboys, Ben?

In the interest of balance, Tim Surette of TV Guide had a more positive review:

"This is a show that, like the most successful new tech, has shed its previous form and evolved into an entirely new product, which [showrunners Chris Nolan and Lisa Joy] hinted at from the very beginning. It might take time to get used to, but after a while, we’ll hopefully recognize it as an inevitable improvement that we couldn’t imagine being without. At eight episodes, there’s still four episodes for the bugs to show, but halfway through the season, Westworld looks like a vital show again."

After season 2, I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that most critics aren’t wild about the new episodes of Westworld, but I’m still looking forward to watching and deciding for myself. What say you?

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h/t SyFyWire, Gamespot