There are three main reasons somebody would go to see A Quiet Place : Day One. 1. They are a fan of the first two movies in the series. 2. They dug the apocalyptic alien invasion vibes of the trailer. 3. They enjoyed director Micheal Sarnoski's previous (and only other) film Pig. It is the third group who are most likely to be satisfied.
Lupita Nyong'o stars as Sam, a terminally ill cancer patient on a last visit into New York when a meteorite shower brings the "Death Angels" to Earth and all of a sudden making a noise equals meeting a grizzly end. Given her situation Sam reasons that the bliss of one final slice of pizza is worth more than a few hours/days/weeks living in pain and fear so sets off towards Harlem and her favourite pizzeria. On the way she encounters Eric (Joseph Quinn) who, in shock and thousands of miles from his family in the UK, needs a goal to focus on and resolves to help her achieve her dying wish whether she wants him to or not.
These events unfold much more like an intimate character piece than a grand alien invasion or scary monster movie. It's the story of a dying poet smelling library books, trying to invoke childhood memories and generally squeezing in a final few moments of joy as the last grains of sand drop through her hourglass. It's the story of a scared young man finding a way to carry on when the only plan he had for life comes to a sudden, bloody end. It's also the story of a bemused but chill cat wondering what the hell is going on. The fact most of their developing relationship plays out in near silence gives it emotional nuance and allows both actors to show their depth. With natural warmth and expressive eyes it's easy to see why Joseph Quinn has shot to the top of casting director lists post Stranger Things but this is mostly Lupita Nyong'o's show and she is great. Within five minutes of meeting Sam you are instantly on board with her resigned and dignified but justifiably bitter character and she anchors everything with a down to earth humanity you rarely ever see in a film of this type. You will really want her to get that pizza.
The monster invasion "Quiet Place" stuff the film was sold on actually comprise its least compelling parts. We've already seen the moment of contact in the previous film's flashback and moving it to the big city doesn't make it feel any grander since we are still following a single persons perspective. There's also a sense of fatigue about the set pieces that come in the same two flavours as the previous films. Either the aliens are prowling around making generic clicking noises while someone silently hides or they are barrelling around knocking things over as they make a meal out of catching prey a fraction of their speed. There is tension but it comes from the fact you really want the characters to succeed rather than from any well crafted horror beats and while scenes of a deserted and dust shrouded New York are atmospheric the creatures themselves have really lost their intimidation factor three movies in.
Day One is a much more textured film than it needs to be and hits emotional heights you wouldn't expect but there is a sense it is two separate films overlayed on top of each other and one of them is much weaker than the other.
7 Water features to hide your voice out of 10 silent locations.
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