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Prequels get boring when you already know how the story ends. Fortunately, A Quiet Place: Day One completely avoids this pitfall by using unique characters in a more interesting setting. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig), Day One takes place in New York City and follows Sam, a new character. Sam is played by Lupita Nyong’o (Us), and the film also stars Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), and Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy). The film explores how the arrival of the visually impaired, but audio-aware aliens completely destroys New York.
But, the film doesn’t start with their arrival. It’s first established that Sam – a poet – is terminally ill. She only makes it into the city after agreeing to see a show with other members of her hospice, coaxed by her nurse who promises some authentic New York pizza. When the creatures show up Sam is knocked unconscious quite quickly, with her main concern once she wakes being her cat Frodo. Other than Djimon Hounsou’s Henri, Day One shares no characters with any of the other films in the franchise and it shows a brand-new side of the alien invasion.
A Quiet Place: Day One Is Fresh
Having the main character in a horror movie be someone who the audience knows is going to die soon anyway is a great idea. It immediately removes any hang-ups franchise fans have about why Sam isn’t in the next films, or what happens to her throughout this one. Instead, we feel sorry for her and Frodo. Slowly evading the many creatures in the city, Sam’s situation is full of despair. But, we want her to get that slice of pizza she so desperately wants to go out on, so we cheer for her until the film’s end.
The only other main character is Eric (Quinn), who comes in roughly halfway through. He’s a sad Englishman who is lonely because his away from his family while he’s studying at law school. He doesn’t come across as the bravest guy, and he’s not afraid to show his emotions. But, he sees Sam alone and refuses to let her be alone. Now, it’s most likely out of a desire not to be alone, but there’s still a weird charm to him because of Quinn’s performance.
If you’re going to have a film where there are going to be large sections without dialogue, the actors need to be incredibly emotive for the picture to stay engaging. Nyong’o, Quinn, Hounsou, and Wolff all have terrific eye acting in Day One. There’s not a moment where you don’t know what they’re thinking because of how expressive they are with their eyes. Nyong’o brings a tired sassiness to the character but keeps the performance haunting because of how often she looks terrified.
The Rules of the World
An issue I have with the previous two A Quiet Place movies is that there are established rules in this world that aren’t used very often like how the creatures can’t hear you if you’re near something louder. Day One starts by pointing out how loud the average day in New York City is. When the characters are sneaking through the city, it’s usually while a louder sound covers them. There are still moments where it feels like a noise should kill them and doesn’t, but those moments are few and far between, especially when compared with the other two movies.
Speaking of noises, the sound design here is immaculate. Every crunch of glass, every scream, and every creepy growl is exactly at the prominence it needs to be. The film relishes in the silent moments too, drawing attention to every noise to make the audience hyper-aware of themselves. There are many jumpscares and if you’re not a horror movie regular you might end up flinging yourself off of your seat. The tension is ever-present as you see the tens of creatures run by at the beginning of the movie, filling your head that for the last 70 minutes, they’re just running loose around New York.
The score (Alexis Grapsas) helps sustain that feeling of dread, as in the audience’s minds it feels as if the creatures are just off-camera. Day One uses as much of the setting as it can, with the creatures using the verticality of the skyscrapers to move around, and the survivors using the underground tunnels to make their escape. It’s not a violent film, with most of the deaths happening off-camera. The attacks are sudden, brutal, and impactful.
A Hell of a Town
A Quiet Place: Day One is exactly the type of horror movie it needs to be. Subtle, but on a massive scale. Rooted in science fiction but by no means dense. The movie looks great too. The visuals are remarkable, and the film is well-lit, even when the characters are underground. The one knockback against the visuals is that the creatures don’t look too good in motion, which is a shame. The story is solid, as you root for the well-developed characters to make it out of the city by way of a slice of pizza.
It’s well-paced with some slight dragging in certain parts, as you wean off the highs of the tension. Coming in at 99 minutes long, you should never feel bored. A Quiet Place: Day One uses the franchise’s framework to tell a beautiful story about humanity while littering itself with tense jumpscares. In doing so it’s done something so few prequels manage to do and surpass the original. If you’re a fan of the franchise you should love this one, and if you’re a horror fan you should see Day One on the biggest and loudest screen available to you.
Maybe just stay away from the popcorn.
You can see A Quiet Place: Day One in theaters from June 28, 2024.
A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place: Day One succeeds in telling a different story, with fresh interesting characters while staying intense and full of horror.
Pros
- Superb performances bring great characters to life.
- Sound builds a constant tension, paid off by terrific jumpscares.
- Uses established franchise rules to strengthen its story.
Cons
- The creatures look awkward in motion.
- There’s some obvious plot armor that you’ll need to overlook.
