A Quiet Place: Day 1
Firstly, I would like to offer a warning to all of those going to watch A Quiet Place: Day One in the next few weeks at the cinema. STAY AWAY from snacks that are A) crunchy or B) make a lot of rustling sounds when you try to grab them. We decided to ignore the “quiet” that is advertised in the title and have some popcorn, and, god, was it the funniest mistake we have made. This film really is silent, and the number of times I would jump at the sound of my dad’s crunching to look to the right and see him laughing into his hand was oddly more than a one-time experience.
Anyways, onto the review!
The A Quiet Place saga has really been the beginning of a journey within horror cinema, especially with films like Bird Box following in its path. These films are the definition of anxiety, and from the very opening, we are holding our breath and just waiting for the worst to happen. With A Quiet Place: Day One, they continue to perfect this feeling and enhance the number of moments where we physically tense in our seats. I hope the lady who was sitting next to me jumping out of her seat every other minute is doing okay. Though John Krasinski didn’t direct this film like the others, there is still a sense of his hand and creativity guiding the choices of the film, and I can’t deny Michael Sarnoski brought a new darkness to this world.
However, it is Sarnoski’s ability to differentiate light and dark thematically which makes this film so enjoyable, these little moments of humanity within the destruction. For a film that inflicts such panic and fear from the audience, it never fails to make us smile or laugh in moments, and I think that’s what makes the film feel intense because we can imagine ourselves within these moments and feel for these characters. It’s genuinely refreshing, and it is something I’m loving to see more and more often within these films.
I would also like to highlight how genius the writers are with this plot. Though the idea of going all this way for a slice of pizza within an apocalyptic situation seems nothing other than insane, it is just so raw. When you’re seeing the world getting torn to pieces and you have nothing to lose, it is those little pieces of nostalgia and comfort that we need to drive us through. We see it in Zombieland with Twinkies and most recently in Leave The World Behind with the last episode of FRIENDS. It reminds us of the things we take for granted every day, and most importantly, it wakes up the audience’s drive for this character to get somewhere. (SPOILER – The little detail of them sitting and eating the pizza and being like “meh” is the cherry on top!)
Lupita Amondi Nyong’o is the life and soul of this film, just like every other film she is in, but when you can act and tell so much without dialogue, it really highlights how talented you are. Whenever she is on the screen, I can’t help but just be entranced by her performances. They are nothing other than completely authentic and natural, whether she is in a completely unearthly place or a character that is the furthest away from normality; she just makes everything look so effortless. Joseph Quinn also did an amazing job, especially being next to such an intense performer like Lupita Amondi Nyong’o. However, he really did fight for his own and made it clear to everyone that he is here in the acting world and here to stay! Now I’m excited to see what he does with the Human Torch.
This film doesn’t reach 5 stars because I can’t help but compare it to the genius of the original. There are just moments within this film where I think they could have made more of an emotional impact and could have replaced some of the dragged-out sequences. There isn’t much reform, and I think some of the plot could have been changed to make room for more enduring or scary moments. I also think that the first film is way more gut-wrenching; it makes you grieve these characters and draws every emotion out of you, whereas in this film, it doesn’t feel like we have as much to lose, except for when it comes to the cat!
Overall, A Quiet Place: Day One is definitely a fun watch and needs to be seen on the big screen, it only makes the experience even more intense and fun to watch!
Tell us what you thought of A Quiet Place: Day One and do you think you could survive?