THE STORY – When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.
THE CAST – Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff & Djimon Hounsou
THE TEAM – Michael Sarnoski (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 99 Minutes
New York City may be one of the loudest places on the entire planet. It’s also fitting that it’s the central location to the newest entry in the “A Quiet Place” franchise. Since 2018, John Krasinski’s low-budget horror directorial debut has spawned into a pretty profitable franchise from Paramount: Video games, an interactive experience at Universal Studios, and now a prequel/spin-off film. It only spread like wildfire, maybe more so than Kransiski expected, as the multi-hyphenate has moved on to greener pastures, leaving Paramount to wonder who will be next to step up in his place. Taking a page from the Marvel Studios textbook, the studio has plucked indie filmmaker Michael Sarnoski (“Pig“) and dropped him behind the camera in one of the year’s higher-profile releases. What comes out of Sarnoski’s sophomore feature is a prequel film far better than it has any right to be, even if it doesn’t play to all of his sensibilities as a director.
“A Quiet Place: Day One” finds Lupita Nyong’o’s protagonist, Sam, slowly eroding in a hospice care facility. Her artistic desires and desire to socialize with anyone who isn’t her pet cat, Frodo, have faded away. After Sam tags along for a trip into the city with the rest of her hospice group (and a very bearded nurse played by Alex Wolff), they eventually witness the beginning of an alien invasion that will end their world as they know it. Sam, along with Frodo and desperate straggler Eric (played by Joseph Quinn), embark throughout New York City as quietly as they can, trying to survive this new reality. What follows is pretty much what is expected from an “A Quiet Place” film, but also not really. Sarnoski’s entry in this series may be some of the more dour filmmaking from a studio blockbuster in recent memory. This universe is inherently harsh in which to survive, as established by Krasinski’s previous films. Still, Sarnoski injects a bleakness that is quite refreshing for a horror franchise whose atmosphere is already beginning to feel too familiar.
This also plays well into Sarnoski’s development of these new characters (mainly Nyong’o and Quinn). Both of their performances dive into the sorrowful nature of this world and how, through each other, they can find the purpose to continue living. It shouldn’t have been too surprising to see how well Sarnoski was able to create interesting characters, especially since this is the filmmaker who made “Pig.” Even though these characters are not fully developed, the performance makes up for more than what is lacking. Not once does it get old watching Nyong’o dive into her bag of tricks, especially for horror films. Nyongo continues to elicit some of the most fear-induced expressions (while flexing that one tear-drop magic), giving audiences an unlikely lead that leaves a mark. Quinn, who’s also great, plays well off Nyongo and becomes an anchor in the film. He delivers a far more sweet-natured performance than the emboldened personality that everyone came to know him from in “Stranger Things.” Then there’s the cat who plays Frodo, stealing the hearts of everyone while also being the most unrealistically well-behaved feline, especially with everything that happens around him. No one else has enough time to make a mark. Unfortunately, we are given another Quiet Place film where Djimon Hounsou is given nothing to do besides be easter egg-esque glue to connect this film to the broader universe.
When it comes to Sarnoski’s screenplay, credit where credit is due, not just in how he attempts to develop these characters, but with how he plays around in this already explored cinematic sandbox. Sarnoski doesn’t waste time retreading any water of the previous films, as the rules to survive in this universe are already clear to audiences now two films in. Our new ensemble of characters adapts to his new shift (somewhat) quickly. That way, Sarnoski can focus more on fully realizing these characters with the more intimate moments that make this entry truly shine. The story ultimately heads towards a direction that feels very much in the same vein of the tone Sarnoski brings from the film’s first few minutes, which felt earned. To a certain point, during the middle section of the film, it does feel like it’s grinding its gears trying to figure out where it’ll eventually end up, but it puts itself back on track relatively quickly.
The consistent detractor of this film becomes more evident whenever Sarnoski breaks away from the film’s more emotionally driven moments and breaks away into some of the larger set pieces. It is possibly some of the only times in “A Quiet Place: Day One” where Sarnoski’s direction is pushing a bit past his limit. Surprisingly, the way Krasinski approaches the more action-oriented spectacle of this franchise (albeit in the vein of Speilberg) plays far better than what Sarnoski attempts here. In Sarnoski’s defense, due to the setting, he’s robbed of the far more grounded locales that would’ve paired better with a storyteller like himself. It doesn’t help that Sarnoski is handed the keys to the largest-scale story told yet for this series. The initial invasion plays somewhat similar to (hate to bring him up again) Speilberg’s rendition of “War of the Worlds.” Plums of ash and smoke everywhere, constant disorientation, and excellent sound mixing put viewers right in the thick of the action. Everything after is far more simplistic, especially one sequence involving a massive glass structure (that was heavily spoiled in the trailer). It doesn’t help that in an attempt to build moments of tension and induce scares, the pressure cooker feeling of the deafening silence being broken feels as if it isn’t stretched to its possible limit. That being said, for someone whose second feature is a bonanza of horror-action set pieces, Sarnoski does a sound job. In a far less capable director’s hands, it would’ve played out in a far more inconsistent manner.
While this is a solid entry in this franchise, the whole appeal of “A Quiet Place” (which sometimes can be quite gimmicky) and its implementation of silence feels like it will run its course sooner rather than later. Now, with three films in this series, many have no idea what’s in store for the future. Will there be a sequel to “A Quiet Place Part II?” Will there be another prequel? The ending of this film leaves plenty of wiggle room to explore what’s next, but do audiences need every moment filled in this timeline? One of the most innovative aspects of “A Quiet Place: Day One” is the lack of curiosity about why the aliens even came here in the first place. Why do they need to invade? Where are they from? Honestly, who cares? We are watching aliens invade, and that’s good enough for now. Hopefully, Paramount, Krasinski, and Co. won’t push this series past its breaking point, especially when you get an entry that, while slightly flawed, is still more interesting to watch than most prequels are nowadays.
