by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer
A Quiet Place: Day One, as the title suggests, brings us back to the earliest days of John Krasinski’s blockbuster thriller franchise. For this outing, the audience parts ways with the Abbott family in favor of Lupita Nyong’o as Samira. The film also opts to shift away from the wooded landscapes of upstate New York, instead taking us straight into the state’s beating heart. With the bustling big city as the new backdrop and a series of fresh faces, it appeared the film aimed to distance itself from its predecessors.
If you are unfamiliar with the franchise, Day One does a fine job of establishing the premise. It takes us back to the point of inception, so you really do not need any knowledge going in. The basic conceit is that the world has been invaded by violent extraterrestrials who seemingly solely rely on their sense of sound to seek out prey. Samira not only has to face off against an onslaught of alien attackers, but also is at the tail end of a hard-fought battle with a terminal disease. With the company of her furry friend, Frodo, and Joseph Quinn as Eric, a random man who quickly becomes attached to her at the hip, she braves the apocalypse with one goal in mind. Pizza.
While on the subject, I must highlight the work of our three leads. It has been abundantly clear since the release of 2019’s Us that Nyong’o has a knack for the horror genre. If the impressive visual effects and intense sound design cannot convince you that our heroes are in peril, all you need to do is look at Nyong’o to see just how dire the situation really is. The film’s premise often requires the actors to perform in near silence. Her unmatched mastery of utilizing minor facial gestures and movements makes this a cakewalk. She plays dread like no one else. On paper, this is a match made in heaven, and the result does not disappoint. Quinn, as her human counterpart, is similarly impressive. His approach can come across a little melodramatic at times, but he still plays every moment with an air of authenticity and confidence that invests the audience in his safety from the first moment.
Our tertiary lead, Frodo the ever-curious cat, is also a highlight of the project. An adorable animal companion is a cinematic cheat code. It is hard to root against a fluffy embodiment of love and loyalty. Fortunately, the best kind of cheat codes are the ones that you cannot justify being mad at, even if you are on the receiving end. From the first trailer I knew I would be willing to throw myself at a 10-foot tall “Death Angel” for this cat, and I am okay with that. Every moment Frodo is on screen is a reminder that life is worth living, and a perfect vessel for tension because the cat is almost always unaware of the impending doom afoot.
One of the highlights of the first two films was the way the technical team played with sound. Some scenes are completely silent and others turn an otherwise innocuous sound into the harrowing final beat you hear before a gruesome end. Day One does this as well, with a few frustrating exceptions. There are moments where you might feel like one sound should be louder than the other, or be completely taken back by the impossibly loud noise made by a random household object. These inconsistencies within the rules presented by the world are some of the most immersion-breaking parts of the project, and the issues only become more apparent as the franchise continues. There are rules presented in the first two releases that are invalidated by the actions of people in this film. I do not expect perfect consistency in a franchise that spans multiple years and production teams. However, it does punish the most invested fans who have spent the time to engage with the world in a critical way.
I am not saying that Day One completely fails at executing the concept. They continue to find cool ways to play with the idea. It is much easier to invest in a hero that manages to outsmart the threat and justify their survival throughout the series. The unfamiliar environment is a wonderful way to shake up the concept and present characters with a new way to fight back. Director and co-writer (with Krasinski) Michael Sarnoski, acclaimed director of Pig, also gets to shine in this film during these moments. Bringing these dreadful creatures into a brand new sandbox allows for a lot of implied horror. Knowing that these spider-like beasts can scale skyscrapers in seconds and burst through a brick wall at any moment makes for a tense experience. I wish the film had spent a little more time with these ideas, but the set pieces that hinge on this outside-the-box thinking are still some of the best moments of the franchise.
When setting out to make a new addition in a franchise, the creative team must ask themselves, “What is the point of this prequel/sequel?” Generally, there are two answers. The first and most common choice being money. This is why so many of the successors end up being lifeless money machines with no impact on the legacy of the franchise. The second choice is still money, but also a fresh new message to explore with the property. This is why this prequel succeeds. A Quiet Place: Day One does not need the attached intellectual property to be a success. The theme explored through the protagonist and her situation is genuinely compelling. Using something as simple as pizza as a metaphor for reclaiming agency in your life when it has been unjustly stripped from you is profoundly human and relatable. A horror movie loses its life when the audience is incapable of connecting with the leads. Nyong’o and the impressive narrative work done with her character makes this a meaningful addition to the series and justifies another visit to this world.
Rating: Liked It
A Quiet Place: Day One is currently playing in theaters
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