Movie Breakdown: A Quiet Place: Day One
Pre-Screening Stance:
A Quiet Place: Day One has a great cast – Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou – and a talented director in Michael Sarnoski (Pig), but I can’t say that I have a raging desire to see another film in this franchise. Who knows though, maybe round three will manage to serve up something new.
Post-Screening Ramble:
Well, A Quiet Place: Day One really isn’t what I thought it would be. The, I guess, “A Quiet Place” part of it is pretty standard – aliens with very sensitive hearing land on Earth and then go about ripping apart anyone who makes a sound – but that’s not at all what drives the film. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski instead hyper-focuses in on its two main characters, Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn). The former is a terminally ill woman who is determined to return home despite the rest of the city trying to evacuate, and the latter is a young man with anxiety issues who finds himself attached to and made stronger by Samira’s dedication to going her own way. Of course, the pair (+ Samira’s immensely lucky cat, Frodo) experience tense moments where they’re desperately trying to not make any noise (and you’ll find yourself holding your breath right along with them) but it really is a surprisingly dramatic affair that has some real weight to it – there’s imagery that recalls 9/11, and a steadfast message to appreciate life and not fear death. I don’t know if a creature feature of this sort should sport such depth – it almost feels weird that it does – but it allows the film to stand on its own despite the franchise’s main concept feeling a bit played out. Toss that in with a lean runtime of 90-ish minutes and you’ve got something that’s pretty dang solid.
A Quiet Place: Day One packs more of an emotional punch than an explosive one, but I think it’s worth your time. The film hits theaters tomorrow, June 28.
One Last Thought:
The creatures in this universe so wildly and blindly chase any and every sound that I think the inevitable fourth film should be a reality-styled, Jackass-like compilation of these aliens being lured into really funny death traps.
