Movie Review - A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

The prequel film, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE follows an interesting trend in recent “monster movies”. Much like GODZILLA MINUS ONE and KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, it eschews big, violent actions (for the most part) for smaller, human moments (that just so happen to take place with the backdrop of monsters).

And, like the previous two films mentioned, it works quite well.

The first of the “Quiet Place” films NOT to be written and directed by John Krasinski (and to NOT focus on the plight of the Abbott family, led by Emily Blunt and Millicent Simmonds), A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (he also wrote and directed the Nicolas Cage oddity, PIG) tells of the day that the sharp-hearing aliens invade the Earth (as seen through the eyes of a few folks who were on Manhattan Island at the time).

Since Sarnoski decided to focus on the internal struggles of a few, key individuals, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE becomes an intimate character study, told mostly (by necessity) in silence - and when the action occurs, it is jarring in it’s suddeness raising the terror level on the screen.

And..isn’t that what a good horror/monster movie is supposed to do?

Much of the success of this film has to do with the 2 actors cast in the lead roles. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 YEARS A SLAVE) is a screen presence that demands your attention and that quality is well put to use in this film. Nyong’o has yet (as far as I can tell) given a bad performance and in this one she delivers one of her best, mainly because she needs to spend most of it in silence (and covered in ash/dirt) so her emotions must be expressed through her eyes and body movements and she is more than equal to the task.

Alex Wolff (HERIDITARY) and the always good Djimon Hounsou (AMISTAD) show up in worthy performances as folks that Nyong’o meets along the way, but it is when Eric (played by Joseph Quinn) shows up that this film really takes off.

That is because Nyong’o’s performance is strongly paired with the performance of Quinn (Eddie Munson in the most recent season of STRANGER THINGS), Quinn continues to grow as a performer and this performance is no exception. He matches Nyong’o in energy and (mostly silent) performance and as the relationship of these 2 strangers grew throughout the movie, so did the emotional attachment to the film.

And that, of course, is the secret to the success of this film as Sarnoski intercuts the emotional richness of the relationship of these 2 characters with tight, taught and tense scenes of the aliens hunting and attacking the humans creating quite a thrilling theater going experience.

What more could one ask for?

Letter Grade A

9 (out of 10) Stars

And…you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)