For starters, this film feels like a short film, only it’s not.
As we well know, A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel to the A Quiet Place franchise, all of which star Emily Blunt. Unlike A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place Part II (2020), this prequel takes place the very first day of the alien invasion, showing the chaos as New York City forces try to handle the sudden onslaught of terror.
Just like the previous films, the focal point is that these monsters are blind – but are super tuned to sound. Make a noise, and they maul you before you could even scream. And while this film does not have an elaborate storyline, it serves well as a compact standalone prequel without straying too far from the main purpose of the story: showcasing the horror as New Yorkers are forced to adapt to this apocalyptic disaster. Imagine facing the terrifying unknown as you, consumed by panic, make the subconscious mistake of screaming.
The paranoia within the film is also effective. A single creak is rewarded with bug-eyed panicked reactions, and God forbid, someone sneezes or forgets to put their phone on silent. The consequences are unforgiving – once you make a single sound, the possibility of you getting snatched by these monsters before you could even blink goes up to 98%.
Not to forget, the sound design team deserves a massive shoutout for their genius work of building atmosphere while keeping in line with the silence needed for the characters to stay alive. There is a constant light white noise throughout the film, barely noticeable, but just enough to keep the film from missing the background hum of human life, quiet as they are.
And like most of Krasinski’s films, the story has heart and it has soul, similar to the DNA of the first two A Quiet Place films. You root for the characters even in the most hopeless situations, and you feel their love and bond through the screen – and the star of this one is Sam’s (Lupita Nyong’o) connection to her cat. And yes, seeing a tiny little cat in the middle of all the chaos is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Nyong’o has always shown what she’s capable of with a slew of films under her belt like Us, 12 Years a Slave, and Black Panther, but Joseph Quinn proves that he is so much more than just Eddie Munson from Stranger Things.
And the best part? This film leaves an opening for us to see more of these monsters in an expanded universe, perhaps in other parts of the world. For all we know, there’s more of them on this planet aside from New York City…
Catch A Quiet Place: Day One in cinemas near you!
*Images via Paramount Pictures
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