Directed By Michael Sarnoski

Starring – Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff

The Plot – As New York City is invaded by alien creatures who hunt by sound, a woman named Sammy (Nyong’o) fights to survive. Now, for the first time, experience the day the world went quiet

Rated PG-13 for terror and violent content/bloody images.

A Quiet Place: Day One | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) – Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Even with series creator John Krasinski’s influence on this successful property a distant memory, the third installment of this franchise still manages to maintain the integrity of its predecessors, all the while inscribing some fresh elements of change that bring a much-needed boost to a concept that could otherwise become tediously repetitive. For starters, Sarnoski is a fitting replacement for Krasinski, who not only rigorously triggers the same anxiety-inducing set pieces, with a tension on blanketed silence, but also maintaining a menacing nature to its many creature designs, which makes them feel as ruthlessly unforgiving as ever, all with a fine balance of practical and artificial effects inscribing heft and unmistakable influence. Because Sarnoski is given the typical 90 minute time frame to usher in his story, the film wastes little time in the initial set-up that sees these creatures unceremoniously arrive and devastate this unexpecting city, in turn maintaining the urgency in the narrative in ways that naturally avoid sagging parts or diminishing returns, all without the kind of unnatural exposition in uncovered backstory that can feel heavily intentioned. Beyond Sarnoski, the franchise’s shift to New York City brings some meaning and merit to the stakes and scope of the concept, which feels bigger than ever with an expanded population and environmental elements that can present challenges to the idea of its characters maintaining quiet. While the familiar backdrops of everywhere from Harlem to Manhattan do conjure an eerie uneasiness in their decaying desolation, complete with abandoned vehicles and bodies scattered like falling leaves, a certain pizza place and what it represents to the meaning of Sammy’s character feels like the ultimate triumph, in turn unlocking a side to her vital characterization that was most noticeably missing in the extent of the narrative, with a telepathic meaning to the audience in the places and people that ultimately remind us of a simpler time. Because the film trades in the isolation factor of the countryside for the claustrophobic confines of the biggest little city in the world, the feast of these creatures is far more brutal than any of its previous chapters, and considering this is the day when they abruptly fell from the sky for their dreaded takeover, they are as strong of an army as ever, with the numbers game constantly working to their atmospheric advantage. I previously commended the film’s intricacy in sound design, and that praise comes much deserved with a combination of mixing and editing that seamlessly walks the same bed of trepidation as its two predecessors, but this time with an expansive element of depth to the deposits that ominously echo that of the devastation that we’re not visually privy to. This keeps audiences on their toes in reaching for anything that could ease the burden of gloom from these monsters stalking our dual protagonists, but even beyond that elicits an alarming reminder to victims not as fortunate in the heat of the moment, gaining an advantageous dread to the overall tone and atmosphere of the movie, which rarely drifts into the confines of levity to break the uncomfortable factor of its audience. There were even a few predictable jump scares in the duration of the film, but they were few enough without becoming repetitive, and nothing that audibly felt improper for the jolts they register. Lastly, much praise is to be given to Nyong’o and Quinn, who each inscribe tragic elements of humanity to their respective characters, despite the characterization not getting either of them off to cherished starts. Quinn takes his biggest leap forward after his show-stealing stint on Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’, with a tender enveloping inspiring fear and innocence that is remarkably refreshing for a male lead in these kind of horror films, and Nyong’o dazzles boldly and fiercely, not only with emotive facial registries that illustrate all of the dread and despair to carnage that the audience isn’t privy to, but also in tapping into the psychology of her character’s deepest regrets, which successfully do make for a moving climax to the film that engages that satisfying feel to the engagement, despite its bittersweet ending that isn’t exactly cut and try. Together, the two have tremendously believable chemistry that grows without becoming romantic, and together with the help of one brave and adventurous four-legged feline, who definitely deserves an animal Oscar in next year’s ceremonies, are enriched by a familial aspect to their ongoing dynamic that gives the storytelling wings, even when the script is unfortunately limited in the expansion of its global conflict. More on that in a second.

NEGATIVES

Though ‘Day One’ is a more than capable successor to two of the best mainstream horror films of the past decade, it is noticeably inferior in a couple of vital aspects that hinders its influence, in turn pointing out the glaring instances where Krasinski’s absence can be heard the loudest. While nothing terribly sacrificial to the finishing grade of the product, the characterization of our two protagonists does get off to a bit of an unremarkable start that is made confusing by some unappealing elements to their personalities that took me longer than I would’ve liked in attaching myself to their dreaded disposition. Bluntly, Sammy comes off as a bit of a bitch to senior citizens and staff during our initial moments with her, and while it’s attempted to be explained the longer the film persists into uncovered backstory, it’s still a strange decision to the creativity of her character, especially as someone who hasn’t appeared in either of the two previous films. Quinn’s Eric isn’t as grating, but there is a rich boy privilege at least to his initial engagements that feel more annoying than desperate, and with even less insight on the backstory of his character compared to Sammy, Quinn is forced to work overtime in making the character compelling, succeeding only as a result of the warmth and compassion that Quinn inflicts to the character. Beyond the diminishing returns between characters of this franchise, the film’s setting scope is definitely expanded, as previously commended in the shift to the metropolis of New York City, but its lore in the depth of alien invasion feels stalled, especially with so little time and attention paid to their arrival, which we’re essentially seeing in long-form for the first time in the franchise. With the film cutting away from the humans gaining insight on their weaknesses, or the media capital of the world not being utilized to convey a deeper significance and bigger picture to the world that hangs in the balance, it kind of wastes away both of its capabilities as an insightful backstory and scenery shift that each could’ve brought something vital to the series in making it stand out as significant from its predecessors, but instead doesn’t take many chances in evading the general outline that we’ve come to expect with this franchise. In fact, the whole script feels like it could easily be written in twenty pages or less, as a result of how little it pivots from expectations, but also how little it establishes to the world-building that feels uniquely pertinent towards its own third chapter, resulting in a good but under measured prequel that definitely deserved more time to uncover something new and meaningful to the conflict.

OVERALL
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ does have the daunting task of succeeding without series creator John Krasinski in its grasp, but it does so with continued amplified tension, resilient performances, and overwhelming vulnerability, as a result of firm grip that Michael Sarnoski maintains on the direction. While the film occasionally errors on the side of too much caution with a safe script and flawed characterization that limit its growth among its predecessors, the gut punch of a sentimentally meaningful climax keeps its execution sound, cementing a third installment that deserves to be seen just as much as it deserves to be heard.

My Grade: 7/10 or B