The previous two chapters of A Quiet Place of 2019 and 2021 directed (and starring alongside Emily Blunt) by John Krasinski told the story of a family unit on the run while desperately trying to survive after alien monsters – who attack anything that makes even the slightest noise – descended on the Earth beginning to brutally decimate human civilization.
Well-packaged works, capable of providing some healthy thrills and supported by some well-constructed suspense scenes. Despite the intrinsic absurdity of the premise, this pair of fantasy-horrors with an intriguing concept managed to balance a certain authentic seriousness with an adequate sense of entertainment capable of making them at least – if not unanimously loved by the public – a good commercial success.
Now, inevitably given that we are still in Hollywood, a prequel arrives, simply titled A Quiet Place – Day 1 (A Quiet Place: Day One), which, for better or worse, takes a slightly different approach, with varying results.
First, we meet Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a poet who is currently a terminal cancer patient in palliative care. She is serene and sarcastic about the little time she has left on this planet. A nurse convinces her to go see a show in New York City, on the condition that they stop for pizza in the city.
Of course, during this little jaunt, the aliens choose to get in on the action, and so we witness – although not for the first time, as we had already seen something similar in the previous film – the initial invasion of these gigantic and fearsome creatures, essentially designed as enormous claws with large ears in place of heads.
Sam decides that since she doesn’t have much time left to live, instead of quickly seeking shelter, she will venture into the heart of Harlem to eat one last slice of pizza at her favorite place. Along the way she meets another survivor, Eric (Joseph Quinn), who is also terrified and alone, for some reason, wants to follow her.
And with them there is also Sam’s cat, the very calm Frodo (not coincidentally…), who – we can say it peacefully – is somewhat the most memorable character of A Quiet Place – Day 1.
Taking John Krasinski’s place as director this time Michael Sarnoskialready behind the camera of the remarkable thriller Pig – Rob’s Plan with Nicolas Cage (the review).
On closer inspection, Michael Sarnoski’s project would seem to be to simply create a rather dark drama with only two actors (and one animal), set against the backdrop of a typical monster movie.
Fortunately, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (We) and Jospeh Quinn (Stranger Things) are up to the task offered to them. The first, in particular, is full of a series of heartbreaking monologues about his willingness to face death in his own way, sometimes played while his character is afflicted by incredible physical pain due to the disease.
The sense of intimacy that A Quiet Place – Day 1 develops between these two strangers is surprisingly effective.
On the other hand, however, there is a serious lack of inventive scares or sustained suspense sequences.
Our two protagonists go somewhere, something makes a noise, they run away to quieter places, and now they find themselves somewhere else. Repeat. You only feel little momentum or narrative progression in their ‘race for pizza’.
Furthermore, as intriguing as it may be to explain as little as possible about the creatures, after three films it’s impossible not to wish for a little more detail on the matter; at least some clue about their goals, abilities or weaknesses (the previous two chapters, although not fully developed, had done a better job in this regard).
For example, one sequence sees Eric stumble upon some sort of nest, but it only serves to raise more questions without being particularly anxiety-provoking.
Ultimately, while the central element of this chapter is 100 minutes long and almost 70 million budget it is intentionally the dramatic situation and the search for humanity above all else of the two protagonists (which works much more than one might expect and still offers a pleasant variation to the previous formula which was now showing its flank), this idea develops to the detriment of the development of the more fantasy-horror side that the public would perhaps expect in a product of this kind.
Below you will find the full trailer dubbed in Italian of A Quiet Place – Day 1, in our cinemas June 27th:
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