The third entry in the A Quiet Place franchise (titled A Quiet Place: Day One) is quickly garnering strong reactions from critics after early screenings.
Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, A Quiet Place: Day One takes fans to the beginning of the alien invasion which brought creatures with ultrasonic hearing to Earth.
Starring the MCU’s Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther) and Joseph Quinn (The Fantastic Four), Day One shows New York City residents finding out what makes these aliens tick as they try to avoid their wrath.
[ A Quiet Place: Day One Gets Unsurprising Rating ]
First Critic Reviews to A Quiet Place: Day One
Critics publicly released their first reviews for A Quiet Place: Day One following the prequel’s world premiere event and first screenings.
The Toronto Sun’s Mark Daniell saw the tension in this one upped from the first two films thanks to “a slew of aliens” being added to “an emotional story:”
“Loved ‘A Quiet Place: Day One.’ It ups the tension from the first two by adding a slew of aliens to the mix. But at its heart, this an emotional story of two lost people finding themselves again. Schnitzel the [cat] totally steals the show. The ending is outstanding.”
The Mary Sue’s Rachel Leishman called this film “easily [her] favorite in this franchise,” praising Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s performances:
“‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is easily my favorite in this franchise. It’s human & raw & is a story about the desperation that exists when all hope is lost & how that turns into a deep connection with each other. Joseph Quinn, you movie star! Lupita Nyong’o has an Oscar for a REASON.”
Collider’s Steven Weintraub sees “a lot left to explore” in this universe, noting how the entire audience was “so invested in what would happen” to the two main characters and their cat:
“‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ shows the Quiet Place universe still has a lot left to explore. Once again I could hear a pin drop in the theater because everyone was so invested in what would happen to Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and the cat. You read that right. The third lead is a cat and every time it was off the leash I was very very worried. Writer-director Michael Sarnoski also makes great use of closeups and you feel what the characters are experiencing. Definite recommend.”
Discussing Film’s Andrew Salazar offered specific praise to Nyong’o and director Michael Sarnoski for the way they told “a poignant story about finding inner peace” during such a scary adventure:
“‘A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE’ might be my favorite of the series. The city setting brings new thrills and nail-biting suspense. But what truly sets this apart is Lupita Nyong’o and director Michael Sarnoski telling a poignant story about finding inner peace, even during the apocalypse.”
Collider’s Perri Nemiroff hyped the way Day One brings “an epic big city disaster film” while also focusing on characters and “making the most of the franchise’s core concept:”
“How about a one-two punch of excellent horror trilogies … because ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is quite good, too! I loved the first two films, their sky-high tension and their more contained settings, but I also love an epic big city disaster film. ‘Day One’ delivers that while making the most of the franchise’s core concept and keeping the series character-first.”
The Direct’s own Russ Milheim teased “a harrowingly beautiful, emotional story” behind Nyong’o and Quinn, urging fans to “see it in theaters:”
“‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is a fantastic addition to the franchise. It’s a harrowingly beautiful, emotional story with powerhouse performances from both Lupita Nyong’o and Joesph Quinn. The film also introduces some new interesting lore tidbits, which is fun. Go see it in theaters!
Nightmarish Conjuring’s Shannon McGrew called the prequel “perfect,” noting how Sarnoski “understood the assignment” and praising the film’s “gut-wrenching, beautiful story:”
“‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is perfect. Michael Sarnoski understood the assignment + didnt miss. As nerve wracking as the scares are they don’t hold a candle to the gut-wrenching, beautiful story at the heart of the movie. Lupita Nyong’o is astonishing + her performance had me in tears.
Film critic Edward Douglas compared Day One to its predecessors in calling it “just as effectively terrifying as the two…movies,” largely due to Nyong’o’s performance:
“‘A Quiet Place Day 1’ is just as effectively terrifying as the two Krasinski movies and a lot of that has to do with Lupita Nyong’o’s performance which is on par with Blunt’s in those movies. I loved it!”
ReelBlend’s Jake Hamilton loved Day One, comparing it and the first two A Quiet Place movies to Alien and Aliens thematically as this one brings “big, loud and scary monster carnage:”
“Loved ‘A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE.’ Thematically, if ‘PART I’ and ‘II’ are more akin to ‘ALIEN’ — small, quiet moments of terror — ‘DAY ONE’ is closer to ‘ALIENS.’ Big, loud and scary monster carnage. Nyong’o gives a heartbreaking weight to her role — and the final shot will leave you BROKEN.”
Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia used the phrase “emotionally taxing” when describing the film, feeling that the movie did not expand much on what was already known from the first two:
“‘A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE’ is a bleak & extremely tense summer blockbuster. Emotionally taxing, this third entry in the horror franchise is at its best when it highlights those small but vital glimmers of humanity & hope in despairing times. Lupita Nyong’o & Joseph Quinn do their best to rise above the thin material for their characters, and Sarnoski stages the large-scale chaos & destruction well, often placing us right in the thick of the thrilling action. However, much of the film feels like a retread with little expansion beyond what we already know from the previous two films. Shoutout to the cat though for stealing the movie from its co-stars by simply keeping quiet & minding its own business.
ComicBook’s Brandon Davis lamented the fact that this movie did not “have as much apocalypse-falling carnage” as he wanted, but he shared multiple highlights as well, including the cat:
“‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is excellent. It didn’t have as much apocalypse-falling carnage as I’d hoped for but the human story told here is both terrifying and beautiful. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn are great. Nice new bits of lore, too. Plus, the cat is a star.
What To Take away From A Quiet Place: Day One Reactions
Combining to make over $630 million at the global box office (per The Numbers) and earning multiple award nominations, the first two A Quiet Place movies helped bring the horror genre to the forefront.
They also both earned Tomatometer ratings of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving how highly fans and critics regard John Krasinski’s scary stories.
Nyong’o and Quinn appear to have given top-notch performances in this movie, as many critics mention them by name. Fans should be thrilled to see their star power drive the prequel’s success.
While Day One looks to build success off the movies that came before it, it also appears to have plenty of exciting moments to celebrate on its merit as it builds this world from the ground up.
It is still unknown whether this will set the stage for new adventures to be developed in this universe, but having a full trilogy of successful films cannot be taken lightly.
A Quiet Place: Day One debuts in theaters on Friday, June 28.
Read more about the A Quiet Place franchise below:
A Quiet Place 3: Release, Cast and Everything We Know
Quiet Place 3 Receives Hopeful Update from Franchise Star: Will It Release?