As someone who has lived here for 20 years, I can say New York City is the hardest place for anyone to have peace and quiet. This makes it the perfect setting for a horror movie where you have to be quiet, such is the case in A Quiet Place: Day One.
The prequel superbly returns us to a world ravaged by sound-sensitive monsters. The first two movies in this series take place over a year into the apocalypse and show a family struggling to survive. John Krasinski directed those two films, which were phenomenal. The concept for a Day One movie has been a fascinating idea ever since the first movie. It must be why Krasinski began A Quiet Place: Part Two with a prologue showing how this nightmare began. This film is essentially a feature-length take on that prologue with new characters set in one of the most famous cities in the world.
Krasinski didn’t return to direct this one, instead getting a producer and story credit (and going on to direct this year’s IF). Jeff Nichols, the writer/director originally set to take the reins, dropped out due to creative differences (and he went on to make The Bikeriders). So, who better to helm A Quiet Place: Day One than Michael Sarnoski? Sarnoski’s previous movie was Pig, a Nicolas Cage drama about a kidnapped pig. This movie may put Sarnoski on the map as a filmmaker who can craft exceptional quality with a higher budget. Having written and translated the script to the screen, he brings a strong voice to an existing world.
There’s a unique challenge with this prequel. We already saw what happened with the Abbott family on day one. So, this movie needed to take the concept we were familiar with and breathe new life into it with new characters. Enter Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) and Reuben (Alex Wolff). Sam stays at a nursing home while Reuben is her nurse. The movie sets up their relationship quickly and then launches us into the chaos, panic, and terror of what would happen if a major city like NYC were suddenly faced with the apocalypse.
The original movie was made with a mere $17 million. A Quiet Place: Day One has over four times the budget, allowing for larger set pieces. There’s more destruction and more people involved, and it’s set in a more urban area than the more rural settings of the other two. An early scene after the first wave shows the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges being blown up. The haunting imagery aligns more with a high-spectacle disaster movie than the contained, claustrophobic creature feature feelings of the first film.
It’s not easy at first to understand who Sam is and what she’s thinking. Like any rational New Yorker, the first goal on her mind once the apocalypse happens is getting a good slice of pizza. It’s a strange goal for her to have, but as the movie progresses, you get a deeper understanding of what’s driving her forward. She shares a scene with Eric (Joseph Quinn) where they learn just a bit about each other, and it’s a beautiful scene. We get a sense of who these people used to be, and we settle in the reality that they can never be those people again.
Much like the first two, sound plays an integral role in the experience of this film. The A Quiet Place movies are neither for the faint of heart nor for the theater talkers or those who munch loudly on their popcorn and candy. Audience participation is a must, and if you’re lucky enough to get an audience that doesn’t yell at the screen, you should get a lottery ticket. But this movie doesn’t require that kind of sheer frustration (unlike other horror movies from this year). The characters are smart; they don’t make dumb decisions that have you rooting for their timely deaths. There are no characters that feel like disposable bodies waiting to get brutally ripped apart.
Each character feels integral to what we see. Each person is someone trying their hardest to survive. And with a larger budget, more can be done to put these characters in stressful situations, like neck-deep in water. A Quiet Place: Day One offers 99 minutes of nail-biting tension and thrills that keep you entertained and holding your breath. It has a sense of humor and strong characters. Although the beautiful, emotional pull of a family is lost in this film, this movie offers a different story of two people who meet under dire circumstances and need to work together. And all the quieter character moments are where this movie really shines, particularly in the acts of kindness they provide for each other. It’s probably not the scariest entry in the series, but it stands on its own as a phenomenal viewing experience.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our A Quiet Place: Day One review.