For a franchise with so few entries, A Quiet Place carries a certain amount of prestige in horror. The first film was a sleeper hit that hooked audiences through its heart and nerve-shredding tension, establishing actor-turned-director John Krasinski as a filmmaker to watch. The sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, arguably improved on just about everything that made its predecessor work. Instead of hastily following up on that movie, Paramount Pictures has chosen a different route by making a prequel. A Quiet Place: Day One began as a vehicle for writer-director Jeff Nichols (The Bikeriders) to break into the blockbuster scene before creative differences put the kibosh on that version, leading to Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski taking the reigns. The final product is better than what fans could have expected: a lean, mean prequel that ushers in palpable human drama in a pulse-pounding package.
Part of what makes A Quiet Place: Day One work on all fronts involves writer-director Michael Sarnoski having his priorities in place. Outside of Djimon Hounsou reprising his role of Henri from A Quiet Place Part II, there’s little to no mythology-building or tie-ins to the other movies. A Quiet Place: Day One empathically sets itself apart by being set at a completely different time of the alien invasion in a new, exciting arena for this franchise: the skyscrapers and busy streets of New York City. The narrative at hand is entirely standalone, a rare gambit for a blockbuster horror film that pays off due to the strength of Michael Sarnoski’s filmmaking prowess and the powerful performances from the cast.
Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) is ready for her life to end. Living under hospice care out of necessity for her late-stage cancer, with a service cat named Frodo being her closest companion, Sam struggles to find hope despite the urging of her nurse, Reuben (Alex Wolff). A group outing from the care facility to Manhattan goes from a whimsical day trip to a full-blown nightmare when monstrous, blind extraterrestrials who hunt by sound suddenly fall from the sky. As these creatures besiege the city, Sam is shaken from giving up when she comes across terrified law student Eric (Joseph Quinn). Upon discovering that the creatures cannot swim, the U.S. government orders all surviving civilians to reach evacuation boats on the far side of town. Brought together by unlikely circumstances, Sam and Eric must do whatever it takes to reach the boats in silence before their chance to escape is gone forever.
It’s a shame that Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther, Us) is often underutilized in Hollywood because her performance in A Quiet Place: Day One is a huge testament to her talent. Through her detached gaze and sparse communication, Nyong’o establishes Sam as a woman who’s accepted that she’s reached the end of the road, merely waiting for death’s sweet relief. Beneath this cold exterior, Nyong’o, supported by Michael Sarnoski’s script, communicates that Sam desperately wants to experience the highs of life just one more time. Early in the plot, Sam asks her nurse if they can quickly stop in Harlem for pizza while on their day trip. This simple request slowly morphs into a symbolic mission during the alien invasion — the unfinished business she must attend to before she can truly let go.
Sam’s care for her cat Frodo, constantly walking by her side on a leash or snuggled up in her bag, indicates a nurturing soul that she suppresses. Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn’s Eric wears his heart fully on his sleeve, and his heart says that he’s absolutely terrified of death. A far cry from his Stranger Things turn as lovable metalhead Eddie Munson, Quinn makes the savvy choice to play Eric as a normal guy who’s simply trying to cling to his dear life with every fiber in his being. There’s an interesting dichotomy between Sam and Eric, where the former has made peace with the inevitability of her death, and the latter is petrified of his demise. Ultimately, Michael Sarnoski weaves together a heart-wrenching tale of a woman near death making her last days mean something by protecting others (yes, including the cat).
Despite its large scale, A Quiet Place: Day One is an intimate film. Usually, when filmmakers jump from independent fare to blockbusters, a piece of their voice is lost in translation. Not here. Michael Sarnoski continues running with the existential themes and unfiltered authenticity that make Pig resonate as much as it does. Furthermore, he has strong instincts regarding this kind of large-scale filmmaking. One example is how he communicates the abilities and weaknesses of the monsters, or Death Angels. There’s no giant corkboard that explains how the aliens work. Sarnoski slowly pushes the camera on a close-up of an alien’s head and its anatomy to show their method of hunting by hearing. The audience is also treated to a prolonged sequence of one struggling in the water to show how these creatures can’t swim. It’s grade-A visual communication in a movie that doesn’t have the luxury of extensive dialogue.
Some fans worried that the Death Angels wouldn’t have the same scare factor as before now that they would be in full view of daylight. A Quiet Place: Day One immediately disregards those fears through commendable visual effects work. The aliens are more vividly realized than ever. Critically, the way they move gets fleshed out extensively. Unlike the prior two movies, hundreds of these things are wreaking havoc across an entire metropolis, and they move like a unit. They’re a force of nature who create stampedes so dense the viewer can’t tell the head of one from the spindly limbs of another. More like a plague than a collection of creatures, the Death Angels are often seen as slender shadows on the city’s architecture and gray clouds of debris and ash. They represent the violently encroaching, near omnipresent specter of death — extremely appropriate for the film’s story.
Of course, the action sequences are up to the franchise standard and then some. There’s less in the way of big, flashy “hold your breath” moments like the first movie’s famous nail scene. Turns out that’s not an issue, as A Quiet Place: Day One structures itself like a giant chase. The urban playground of New York City starts to resemble a series of death traps. An office building, the subway, and the open city streets are just three instances of familiar iconography being turned into individual houses of horror. Adding an adorable cat who tends to wander out of curiosity only raises the stress level to unbearable heights. Cinematographer Pat Scola’s smooth camerawork feels incredibly purposeful, each shot maximized to wring out as much sweat from the audience as possible. By the time this journey concludes on a boldly bleak note, it feels good to breathe normally again.
It’s hard to believe that A Quiet Place: Day One lost a director over creative differences. This prequel is an assured work, one that brings the action and scares while at the same time treading fertile new thematic ground. It’s invigorating to see a franchise film be this concerned about being a great movie first and brand extension second. Paramount and Platinum Dunes have shepherded their series well. Hopefully, they will learn the right lessons from this invigorating standalone entry, not just for the A Quiet Place franchise but also for all franchises. Namely? Hire Michael Sarnoski, as he’s the next brilliant storyteller every moviegoer this generation should know. A Quiet Place: Day One stands shoulder to shoulder with its predecessors. Maybe even a little taller.
A Quiet Place: Day One hits theaters on June 28!
Release Date: June 28, 2024.
Directed by Michael Sarnoski.
Screenplay by Michael Sarnoski.
Story by John Krasinski & Michael Sarnoski.
Based on characters by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck.
Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, & John Krasinski.
Executive Producers: Allyson Seeger & Vicki Dee Rock.
Main Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, & Eliane Umuhire.
Cinematographer: Pat Scola.
Composer: Alexis Grapsas.
Production Companies: Platinum Dunes & Sunday Night Productions.
Distributor: Paramount Pictures.
Runtime: 99 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
