After what has seemed like an absolute eternity, it’s finally time to settle ourselves down in front of the big screen, wait for the lights to go down and stay very, very quiet. Unless you fancy getting mauled by a leggy alien with sensitive ears.

John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II has at long last arrived, and judging by the talk surrounding this mega, much-delayed blockbuster, it sounds like the ideal film to reignite our love affair with the cinematic experience.

Here are five reasons why we can’t wait to catch it on the big screen.

1. It’s “much bigger” than the first film

A Quiet Place was terrifying ’n’ all (giving birth in a bathtub without being able to make a sound? Nah, thanks), but this one is upping the ante even further. “The second movie is much bigger. It’s a much scarier movie,” says Krasinski. “It was always designed for a theatrical experience.”

From the trailers alone, we can certainly see what he’s talking about – with bigger action sequences and even jumpier scares, it’s hard to imagine watching this on anything other than a massive screen.

“It’s a horror movie. You want to watch it in the dark,” says returning lead star Emily Blunt. “Jump, leap and gasp together.”

2. Even the critics are terrified

Part II is getting rave reviews across the board and currently has a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Most importantly, though, it’s reminding critics of the true power of the big screen experience.

“In the cinema – which is of course where you should see it – you almost can’t help but play along, not daring to shift in your seat in case a creak gives the game away,” writes The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw has also heavily praised the sequel, even if it did leave his nerves decisively shredded: “There are some jump scares that had me Fosbury-flopping out of my seat with a yelp. What a pleasure to see a big, brash picture like this on the big screen.”

3. It features a stunning opening sequence

When Krasinski first shared his idea for an elaborate flashback sequence with Blunt, she immediately knew she wanted to do the sequel. The scene comprises one continuous, terrifying shot that, according to the actress, was “choreographed down to a fine art”.

Critics have picked out the scene as a particular highlight of the film, with Collin writing: “A brilliantly devised backseat shot of Blunt trying to drive her children to safety, before slamming the vehicle into reverse when she realises what she’s driving towards, is exactly the kind of spectacle that connects all the more viscerally and enjoyably when experienced with an audience.”

4. Blunt performed that terrifying stunt for real

We all love a good action sequence, but when we know the stars have actually put their bodies on the line for our entertainment, it makes them all the more enjoyable. Call us sadists, we don’t care.

For the scene in question, Blunt had a bus driving towards her at 40 miles per hour, which, as she stresses, is not the most comfortable of situations to find yourself.

"That is not a CGI bus, that is a real bus,” she said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “There's a stunt driver on the top of the car. And so really, my life is in his hands. I looked up at him and I went 'Well, I hope you're good because my life is in your hands.' And he just lent down and he went, 'I'm the best.' And he really was. But it's sort of terrifying. I've never done a stunt like that."

5. “It feels more epic”

While the first film was very much an intimate and contained horror affair, this sequel is said to be far more action-packed and expansive (think Aliens rather than Alien), with the Abbott family venturing outside their safety zone to further explore the post-apocalyptic world – preferably without stepping on any overly crunchy leaves.

Krasinski has described Part II as a “travelling western”, citing the unforgiving landscapes of No Country For Old Men, True Grit and There Will Be Blood as inspiration. “It feels more epic,” he says.

But just because the claustrophobic element of the first film has been replaced by bigger set pieces and thrilling action sequences, it doesn’t mean it’s any less scary. As Digital Spy states: “A Quiet Place Part II is still horribly tense and just as terrifying as the first movie.”

We fully expect to routinely jump out of our skin and muffle some screams, but at least we’ll be sharing the experience with the rest of you.