I was a tad worried to see how Sarnoski would handle the jump from a three million dollar movie to a seventy million dollar movie but brilliantly, A Quiet Place: Day One works because, like Pig, it prioritizes the human element above everything else. Not to say there isn’t tension, there is plenty of that. Nyongo and Quinn are so good together that even when the movie becomes distracted by its own world, namely the cat, and we begin to venture into monster cliches, the ending is still surprisingly compelling. It is almost as if Sarnoski understands the importance of developing characters.
Love the cat but the over reliance on the cat as a narrative device was extremely distracting. I was wondering where that little guy was way too often. There is something almost magical about the casting of Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, an unlikely pairing that brings immense warmth to an otherwise pretty dour film. Sarnoski clearly has a knack for that balancing act. I actually loved the tone here and I will take any opportunity to be reminded of Cloverfield. Alas, the middle section feels like a bunch of tropey set pieces strung together that get less and less thrilling, time that could have been used to really build the emotional stakes and give the end the payoff it needed. I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio thought there just weren’t enough close calls with the monsters. Too much story. Still it works mostly as a tense disaster film and a resonant story about two normal people and what this event meant for them. Greater than the sum of its parts. Frodo is a very good name for a cat.
Michael Sarnoski subverts expectations of what a Quiet Place movie can be by turning an overwhelmingly inescapable alien invasion thriller into an allegory for confronting certain death when faced with terminal cancer, accepting one’s own fleeting mortality, and discovering what it means to live again. There are still plenty of terrifyingly tense scenes where something as small as a tiny bell jingling can spell immediate doom, but it is the beautifully soft, somber, and human moments that are pushed to the forefront of the story. The monsters and the script rules they create are used more as scary window dressing. It is the exact same kind of bait and switch that Sarnoski pulled with Pig, a movie whose true heart and soul had nothing to do with the John Wick style descent into the culinary underworld that drives the plot, which is what made it one of my favorite films of the past five years. Admirable on several levels and the clear cut signature of a phenomenal and immensely promising writer and director.
The film strikes a pretty good balance between the more sombre, intimate moments and the loud, intrusive sequences. Actually, I thought a lot of the chaos looked great, with the close staging nailing the jittery moments. There is some good commentary on acceptance and sacrifice here but not much else in the way of narrative swings. Unfortunately, there are far too many eye-rollingly obvious scenes that neither add anything new to the franchise nor advance it in a way that would make me long for more. The first twenty minutes in particular are pretty meh and full of conveniences but I kind of get it. The whole thing feels incredibly impulsive, cutting between different big moments without giving audiences a chance to sit through the most poignant parts. It honestly could have done with being a bit longer. Needless to say, Lupita Nyong’o is the highlight and Joseph Quinn is a worthy co-star. Worth seeing as it is a decent time but not much more than I had anticipated.
I can’t believe the Signs aliens did not tell their ugly sound-sensitive cousins on their way back home that this would not be the best place to land and conquer because it is made up of a lot, like a lot of water. But seriously, this was a pretty enjoyable prequel. As many have pointed out, aside from learning about their food preferences, this prequel does not add much new to the IP. However, on its own, it serves as a side story that expands on the lore. It immerses us in a more open setting where Michael adeptly transforms New York City into a claustrophobic environment. Some may argue this approach compromises a deeper understanding and exploitation of the vastness of NYC. But it does not hurt the watch. What it lacks in this department it makes up for with arguably the most stunning cinematography out of the three films. The coloring texture and the way the locations complement Lupita's minimalist yet eye-catching outfits create a striking contrast. The sound design is also great and it makes the aliens and tense moments even more effective. Whether it is the theater scene featuring an unrecognizable Alex Wolff or the large scale building chase, the sound design is truly remarkable. You even make great use of a score in places like the marionette scene. With the way it is shot and the music, it got me in tears.
In terms of performances they are all really solid. Djimon is criminally underused but Lupita is phenomenal. The way she conveys so much through her eyes alone is remarkable. Joseph Quinn also shines in his physical performance and immediately earns audience sympathy despite his stalky introduction. Frodo is the GOAT. All in all, this is less of a thriller and more of a tense drama that visually and tonally leans into Michael's breakthrough film Pig but with the carnage and tension that fans of the franchise expect. It is a monster movie that cares about its characters and that is exactly what makes it memorable.
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