Director – Michael Sarnoski (Pig, Fight Night Legacy)
Starring – Lupita Nyong’o (Big Mouth, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Overlord), and Alex Wolff (Hereditary, My Friend Dahmer)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3/5
The last decade or so has saw the rise of several horror franchises like The Purge, The Conjuring, X, V/H/S, and Terrifier to name a few. One of the more popular properties is John Krasinki’s A Quiet Place. Krasinski, known to fans as Jim Halpert on the American reboot of The Office, created one of the most effective horror films of recent years. It was obvious that the film would receive a sequel, which it did, but I was not expecting it to get a a prequel sometime later along with a video game.
Earlier this year the world was introduced to A Quiet Place: Day One. I was not able to check it out during it’s initial release but when the physical release was announced I was lucky enough to get the awesome UHD steelbook in for review just in time for Halloween!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a terminally ill woman who goes into the city with her nurse to watch a puppet show. However, on the way home she spot several objects falling from the sky. Before long the people in the city are under attack by bloodthirsty creatures that seem to be attracted to sound. She tries to stay quiet with a group of survivors but she decides to leave them and return to her home in Harlem. Along the way she is reunited with her cat and finds a few other survivors. The closer she gets to her home the more dangerous it becomes and the creatures that hunt by sound is listening for anyone to make a mistake. **Spoiler Alert**
A Quiet Place brought a new dynamic to horror that hasn’t been seen since the silent era of film. Using tension, meticulous cinematography, and amazing acting they are able to bring the scares to the viewer without the use of sound. It absolutely works and while I praise the film for how unique it is, I’m not the biggest fan. I do like the films and enjoy watching the but I don’t see much replay value in them. It’s not my favorite franchise but I do look forward to seeing where this franchise is going to take us especially with the video game coming. Day One is a solid installment in the series but it doesn’t really bring us anything new aside for some backstory.
The acting in this one is outstanding. Nyong’o makes the film. While the dialogue is a minimum, she is able to convey so many emotions through her facial expressions and mannerisms. She draws the viewer in and you genuinely feel bad for her. Quinn won many of us over when he was cast as Eddie in Stranger Things and delivered one hell of a performance on the show. He does a fantastic job in this one as well but his character is nowhere near as enjoyable. In fact, his character is severely lacking personality especially when you compare him to the others on the film. The supporting cast is great as well but it’s these two that we spend the most time with.
The story for this one is a bigger look at the beginning of the invasion. We still don’t get a lot of answers but we get a much bigger look at the beginning that was shown in the second film. With that being said, the film doesn’t really give us much more to go on. We still follow people surviving in silence and monsters eating people. While I would have loved to learn more about the creatures, where they come from, and why Earth, I still doubt we will ever get those answers.
Finally, I’ve always enjoyed the creature designs regardless of how close it looks like the demogorgon from Stranger Things. I wish viewers got a bigger look at them as they are feeding and attacking the people. With that being said, we do get some blood and a lot of visual effects that are surprisingly well done. Sadly, it’s not a gory flick and those of you looking for that will be very disappointed. Overall, A Quiet Place: Day One is another solid entry in a very popular franchise. It doesn’t give viewers anything new but it’s still a solid first time watch. While I do recommend it, I do so with a warning. If you are wanting something that will expand what you know from the first two films then you will be disappointed. However, if you want to see the same story as the first two films but from a different perspective then this one is for you.
