November 11, 2024

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (2024) – Easily one of the year’s best

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As the title says this is a prequel to the successful A Quiet Place franchise that had spawned two movies since 2018. Unlike the previous two movies we do not have the on-screen star power presence of husband-and-wife team John Krasinski and Emily Blunt in the cast, although John still plays a major role as he continues as the creator of the story. Instead, we have Lupita Nyong’o (Us, Black Panther, 12 Years a Slave) and the lesser-known Joseph Quinn taking the lead as two New Yorkers who find solace and strengths in each other as they try to escape the alien invasion together with a support pet cat named Frodo. The two of them carried the film well with noteworthy performances that makes their characters sympathetic.

Even though there is not much of a story the film makers still managed to pull the strings with a surprisingly sentimental human story with just the two of them. Their survival depends on their knowledge of the little they know about the aliens which is that they are attracted to sound hence the need to keep absolutely quiet to avoid their detection. Their one weakness is water as they cannot survive under water. The action sequences may be small scale, but they were very well filmed and thrilling with some reminding me of how the first Jurassic Park felt like. The production values are high which added to the overall impact to the movie especially when seen in an IMAX hall. Sound plays a crucial role in the movie, and it was really very well done. These were especially effective during scenes involving the drowning sounds from explosions, thunderstorms and running water. And just as potent in the quieter moments. The photography and framing were also superb making the devastation and chaos look almost beautiful.

The film is not dependent on its predecessors and works perfectly as a stand-alone story. I found this entry to the series to be refreshing. The only gripe perhaps is that the whole “Day One” premise is not fully realised as there is still very little details provided on the background on the attack and how it actually manifested. The story stayed confined to just being told from point of view of our two main characters. That means we are left in the dark as much as they are. So those hoping to find answers beyond what we already know best be forewarned not to expect that.

All in all, there is never a dull moment in the tight 1 hour 40 mins runtime, in what I deem as a flawlessly executed thriller.

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