‘A Quiet Place: Day One’- Film Review | A Tense and Thrilling Prequel

The A Quiet Place franchise has quickly established itself as one of the most thrilling horror series in recent memory. John Krasinski’s ability to build a post-apocalyptic world that will keep audiences quiet, as if they were part of the film’s success, surprised many with its simple premise. The 2018 original is one of my favorite films of the decade for the genre, and its 2021 sequel, A Quiet Place: Part II, is as great to push into new territories. Personally, I think it’s an underrated sequel that no one talks about anymore. With the idea of a prequel in place of when it all started, it probably won’t be on par with what we have gotten prior. And with Krasinski only involved with the story and as an Executive Producer, knowing this would be writer-director Michael Sarnoski’s second feature after Pig with Nicolas Cage (totally worth recommending if you haven’t seen it) gives me hope. Shifting the focus from the Abbott Family to new strangers to survive, A Quiet Place: Day One remembers the critical moments throughout the thrilling chapter with the added bonus of focusing on character.

What’s the Story: Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) is a patient at a hospice facility in New York City suffering from terminal cancer. At least she has her cat, Frodo, to keep her days lasting. Her nurse, Reuben (Alex Wolff), convinces her to take her and the therapy group into the city in hopes of grabbing a slice of pizza from Patsy’s. Suddenly, meter-like objects appear in the sky and crash land in the city, extraterrestrial creatures attacking people that attract sound. With the bridges collapsed and no escape, Sam is determined to return home to Harlem, where she unexpectedly finds company in another survivor, Eric (Joseph Quinn), an English law student unfamiliar with New York.

The concept of A Quiet Place: Day One is challenged by expanding on the fantastic prologue in Part II, which shows the alien invasion the day they arrived. Sarnoski ran with that idea to make a prequel equally memorable as the previous two entries. With the first two occurring about a year into this invasion, we’re getting a look that people on Earth were unprepared for, unaware of how dangerous they are when noises are present. We have a disaster/ monster movie reminding me of Spielberg’s War of the Worlds or Cloverfield, which still fits into the universe—and going from the rural-like areas to New York where it has to be one of the nosiest cities in the country (they shot in the U.K.) stricken with fear, which is a compliment from the sound design team and Sarnoski utilizing debris from the destruction from the streets and buildings.

It blends horror, suspense, and action nicely in its nearly 100-minute runtime, even though there isn’t an attack every minute. Sarnoski’s transition from a low-budget drama to a sci-fi blockbuster is handled well as I thought able to go bigger than what Krasinski brought. The tension still works whenever somebody hides from the aliens, especially underneath the subway. And that’s when I realized how it will deal with dramatic circumstances amidst the chaos in our world. Some jump scares got me (one, in particular, was cliché), but it says a lot about humanity and carrying on life before it’s too late by working together to make it through. This wasn’t as scary as I thought, but it makes up for them with a few genuinely touching moments between our characters.

Though the performers are encouraged not to talk much in their dialogue, Lupita Nyong’o’s Sam and Joseph Quinn’s Eric lift the film with their dynamic throughout, making you want them to survive. Eric has nowhere to go, so they happen to cross paths. Initially hesitant, Sam eventually allows the character to accompany her, which sets the stage for the character’s development and the story’s progression. Nyong’o’s performance is a subtle masterclass, with her eyes conveying a wealth of emotions, pain, and the realization that her medication won’t last long. This performance is a testament to Nyong’o’s ability to elevate the horror genre, as seen in Us. Quinn has become one of my favorites after Season 4 of Stranger Things, and his upcoming role as the Human Torch in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four will skyrocket his career even further. You might not think there’s a lot to Eric, but it helps that he and Sam would do anything for each other despite being strangers. Also, I love Frodo. Usually, cats aren’t my thing, but it shows you can’t have a survival thriller without an adorable animal attached to the protagonist.

Compared to the others, this didn’t provide us with anything new with the mythology we didn’t already know, which is a slight bummer with any prequel out there. There’s more reliance on the characters communicating when water covers their voices when talking, which I forget was mentioned in the first. However, the film does miss the opportunity to unravel why these aliens are taking over the planet, and it seems everyone knows sound equals a quick, violent death. And seeing Djimon Hounsou’s name made me curious about what he’d do since we saw him in Part II. Yet, once again, he is not in many scenes except building a bridge that connects to when we will see him again. Still, an entertaining third entry that stands on its own and will probably improve on a rewatch.

A Quiet Place: Day One has all the makings of a tense and intriguing prequel, plus more. While it may not be a favorite or scariest film in the series, it is a worthy addition that stands on its own to round off a strong trilogy (so far), anchored by Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s outstanding performances.