Movie Review: ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’

Plot: A prequel to the wildly popular Quiet Place franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One shows the devastation of New York City on the day alien creatures arrive. The film centers around Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a poet and terminally ill cancer patient, who pairs up with Eric (Joseph Quinn), an English law student. Thrown together amidst the chaos, the duo must find their way to an extraction point on the South Street Seaport, where survivors are being evacuated by boat.

Review: I have a distinct fondness for the first two Quiet Place films. Not only were they excellent horror movies with solid acting and brilliant direction, but they had something to say. Great genre fiction, whether it’s horror or not, is always talking about something else. In the case of the first two Quiet Place films, the creatures were stand-ins for the terror of parenthood and how parents try to keep the dangers of the world at bay for as long as they can, knowing that ultimately it is a futile effort.

Having said that, it was with trepidation—and no small degree of cynicism—that I approached A Quiet Place: Day One. The venture capitalist mentality that’s invaded Hollywood over the last decade has led studios to squeeze every IP for all its creative worth. And if we’re being honest, the juice has often not been worth the squeeze. I questioned the need for a Quiet Place prequel, especially with John Krasinski stepping away from the director’s chair and serving mostly as producer on this one.

Thankfully I need not have worried, as A Quiet Place: Day One stands toe-to-toe with its predecessors. Tense, terrifying, and anchored by a phenomenal performance from Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, A Quiet Place: Day One proves that this franchise has plenty of gas left in the tank. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski (Pig) crafts a horror elegy that still possesses heart and hope in equal measure. It would be easy to dismiss this third film as merely “a Quiet Place but in the city.” However, changing the setting invigorates the story rather than making it a gimmick. Our heroes have to deal with the real-life problem of manipulating around profound structural damage, whether it’s dealing with a down power grid or a flooded subway.

Although Krasinski stepped away from the director’s chair for this installment, he made an excellent decision by choosing Michael Sarnoski to replace him. Just as he did with his debut film Pig three years ago, Sarnoski injects Day One with a marked degree of humanity that’s evident throughout the film. Whereas, the first two Quiet Place films focused on parenthood, Day One is about being humane at the end of humanity. It’s about finding value and purpose in life, even when that life is ending prematurely.

There are multiple heartfelt, poignant, and quiet moments throughout the film that add texture and nuance. Yet, Sarnoski proves adept at handling the tenser, more terrifying moments as well. A scene where Eric ventures out to acquire medication and ends up rescuing Sam’s cat Frodo was particularly harrowing, as was the final climactic race to the boat. Additionally, at ninety-nine minutes with credits, Sarnoski keep the pace tight and propulsive, just like the previous installments. A Quiet Place: Day One never overstays its welcome and evades the bloated nature of too many indulgent modern Hollywood blockbusters.

Sarnoski’s story doesn’t work however without the fantastic performances of Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong’o. Quinn is having quite the run with his dynamic turn as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things season four, Gladiator II releasing later this year, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps beginning principal photography this week. He continues that run here with his Eric completely untethered when we first meet him. Eric is already disjointed because he’s in a foreign country pursuing a career (lawyer) that he’s not even sure he wants. Eric’s life may just be beginning but it’s deeply unsatisfying. It’s not until he meets Sam that things begin to change, and he finds purpose. It’s a vulnerable, brave, and relatable performance that’s about as far removed from Eddie Munson as you can get.

Ironically, Eric’s purpose ends up being to help Sam fulfill hers. Jaded, cynical, and harboring some severe anger, Sam comes off resigned and resentful of her fate. The fact that she’s in hospice with no real autonomy on where she can go and what she can do, only exacerbates the problem. It’s only by happenstance that she finds herself back in the city when the aliens hit. In a dramatic twist, Sam discovers purpose once more, even as the world comes crashing down around her. And while that purpose (acquiring a piece of pizza from her favorite childhood pizzeria) comes off banal at first glance, the deeper meaning behind it proves profound. It culminates in a hauntingly beautiful scene towards the end of the movie that had me choking up. Only an actor with the talent and ability of Nyong’o could deliver a layered and nuanced performance like this.

Honestly, I only had minor quibbles with A Quiet Place: Day One. Despite being set in New York City, it often doesn’t feel like NYC, with most of the film being shot on location in London. Additionally, a couple VFX shots were slightly dodgy, and I would like to have scene the larger church scene shown in the trailers but ultimately cut from the film.

However, none of these minor critiques lessen what proves to be a fresh, unique, and satisfying entry in the Quiet Place franchise. If you loved the other two installments, chances are you’ll love this one too.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

A Quiet Place: Day One: 8.5/10