A Quiet Place: Day One Review
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Michael Sarnoski, written by John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski and Bryan Woods and starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler, Jennifer Woodward, Sunjay Midda, Elijah Ungvary, Zay Domo Artist, Malik Jubal, Alexander John and Káit Feeney.
Lupita Nyong’o gets a juicy lead role in the chilling new horror movie, A Quiet Place: Day One. Director Michael Sarnoski (Pig) adds his signature gritty style to the film which ultimately works just as well as the previous A Quiet Place films. This one may even be a tad better. Though the new picture treads on some familiar ground, the scares are truly there thanks to the capable direction. There is also a nice, new location showcased this time out and the addition of a cat who, in this particular picture, pretty much steals the show right out from under the alien monsters who are, once again, expertly crafted nevertheless.
Set in New York, we meet a cancer patient named Sam who is living in hospice and yearns to simply get pizza in the city. The action begins as Sam goes on a trip to see a show with some fellow patients. Soon, things spiral out of control when a warning is issued that something dire is about to occur. The monsters from the previous films are coming to wreak havoc on the city full force and if one wants to survive, one better shut up and be quiet. As anyone who has seen the previous pictures knows, these creatures respond to sounds and attack when they hear things. The louder one speaks, the more likely they are to meet a gruesome end.
Joseph Quinn is the other central player in this picture. He plays a man named Eric. This character follows Sam around when he spots her but she just wants to send him on his way. Ultimately, this pair ends up teaming up alongside Sam’s cat to try to survive against the odds. Our central humans even whisper to each other during a loud thunderstorm and let out some formidable screams to alleviate some of the turmoil they are experiencing as they try to stay alive.
There are a number of successful scenes which are filled with unrelenting tension. As the two heroic characters find themselves in an abandoned, waterlogged train station (59th Street, Grand Central), they float through a tunnel with monsters close by. If one of the humans makes a peep, it will all be over. A revolving glass door becomes stuck at one point, too, as our heroes try to escape the very ugly creatures.
The cat in the picture who keeps Sam company probably doesn’t have nine lives but probably has a few lives to spare, especially when chaos ensues and Sam loses the feline in the midst of a disaster only to reunite later with the feline. In-between creature attacks, this movie mostly focuses on the bond between Sam and the cat as well as the friendship between Sam and Eric. When Sam becomes in need of medication to help herself get better, Eric risks his life to help her.
There are plenty of gruesome monster sequences. There are very peculiar aspects of the creatures that make them look rather ugly and they have no distinct characteristics to them. They are purely evil and the film presents them in such a way that we root for the humans and are revolted by the monsters. Director Sarnoski is a genius in terms of building suspense here. He creates the film in the traditional fashion of a roller coaster ride, starting the film off slowly and building tension until the ride begins. However, he does this a bit differently than the previous pictures in the franchise did. There’s much more focus on the human characters than the creatures this time out. Despite the scarce dialogue, the movie also feels noisier than the other A Quiet Place movies. That’s because the hustle and bustle of the city is much noisier than that of the settings of the two previous movies in the series.
Lupita Nyong’o is spectacular but her performance is still a subtle one. She performs her role with tremendous likability. We feel for her situation and respect her fight for survival. She’s strong, fierce and independent. Quinn is certainly a solid actor too and plays off Nyong’o impressively. Though they may seem mismatched, when being forced to get along, the characters eventually become appreciative of one another. The cat is the icing on the cake though one wonders how this adorable animal is able to understand the importance of being quiet. There’s barely a purr that is heard throughout the picture.
Sarnoski doesn’t always make the ride flawless. Some of the scenes towards the end drag and feel repetitive but the movie ultimately concludes well. There aren’t many ways to end this picture and the way Sarnsoski concludes it works for the franchise. Sarnoski under-uses co-stars Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou but utilizes Nyong’o and Quinn so well that the pros and the cons here sort of balance themselves out.
A Quiet Place: Day One works so well because of Sarnoski’s unique touches. The director wisely makes the film more character-driven than monster-driven. The creatures are frightening and get the job done but the audience will be more concerned with seeing Nyong’o and Quinn’s characters try and make it out of the nightmare that the film proposes alive. This picture officially opens the summer movie season with a resounding bang.
Rating: 7.5/10
Leave your thoughts on this A Quiet Place: Day One review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Feedly, Twitter, Faceboo