A Quiet Place: Day One Movie Review

  

A Quiet Place: Day One

Director: Michael Sarnoski

Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn & Djimon Hounsou

Runtime: 1 hour 40 mins

Genre: Sci-fi Horror Thriller

Taking over directorial duties from John Krasinski (Who was working on this year's IF), Michael Sarnoski makes his sophomore feature directorial debut (After Nic Cage's Pig) and first studio movie. Day One which is still written by Krasinski, was set to be directed by Jeff Nicholls who pulled out owing to this month's The Bikeriders. 

Let's break it down..

Story and Plot

A prequel to the original movies, A Quiet Place: Day One takes place over a 100 days before the events of the original 2018 movie. Largely set in New York City it tells the story of when The Death Angels first landed on earth. It concentrates on Sam (Nyong'o), Eric (Quinn) and Henri (Hounsou) as they try to survive the alien invasion in the Big Apple.

My overall thoughts...

Whilst this movie is on the face it is an alien invasion of New York City, (of which we have seen an abundance of movies over the years), Day One is in fact a very intimate character driven human story. So if you're going in expecting Day After Tomorrow meets Independence Day think again. This movie is told very much from the human perspective and the devasting effect the invasion has on a city the size of New York City. Some therefore may feel that as the human element is so strong that there is a overly melancholic feel to the proceedings but I didn't find this myself. 

In the previous movies, one family's survival was threatened. In Day One it's an entire city, as a result instead of rooting for a single family we root for strangers who come together to face a common threat. Thanks to the universally excellent performances from Nyong'o, Quinn and Hounsou, root I did. They may be strangers, but they become family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping movie. Which at 1 hour 40 including credits zips by in the blink of an eye. More thriller than horror (there are jump scares but not that many and gore is kept to a minimum).

Day One could have so easily have been seen as the castaway of the franchise, new director, new cast but thanks to Sarnoski's firm hand at the helm, engaging story, tight script, excellent performances and taut action, the movie had me in a vice like grip from the start, I was riveted to my seat from start to finish. 

My son's thoughts...

Accompanying me for this movie was my 15-year-old son Jack, and here is his take;

A Quiet Place Day One is an amazing addition to the Quiet Place franchise. this movie really allows the audience to connect with the characters and feel empathetic for them. It also sheds a new light into the effects of the Death Angels on major parts of the world such as New York compared to a small farm. 

Another great thing about this is film is that the CGI is fantastic and very immersive and the plot and script are amazing, very successful at creating a tense atmosphere that puts the watcher on the edge of their seats for the whole movie, as if the screen has a tight lock on them, gluing their eyes to the screen for the whole movie. to add to this, it is great to see the island leader from the second instalment again, as the character is reprised by Djimon Hounsou. Additionally, Joseph Quin and Lupita Nyong'o really bring their characters emotions to life when faced with the Death Angels, their acting is incredible and really makes you believe what you are watching is real. 

To finish off, I would have to say that my favourite shot of the film is when Eric is face to face with the alpha Death Angel in the steel yard and he is just one decibel away from death. This shot is a truly terrifying reality of how hopeless humans would be compared to these apex predators and really shows the size difference between humans and the Death Angels. 

Overall I would give the movie a 5/5 and my verdict would be Unmissable.

Cast

41 year-old Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o is without question the movie's main star. She plays Samira a poet and writer who is suffering from cancer. After venturing into the city from her hospice to grab one last slice of pizza, the movie kicks off. Thanks to the strong script and engaging story, Nyong'o is able to shine in the lead (making the movie at times feel more like an Indie than a tent-pole summer blockbuster), she show's you that she is one of the leading actresses of her generation, she was fantastic and effortlessly portrays the terror of what is happening.

Samira is accompanied throughout the movie by Frodo her adorable service cat who has more than one occasion to shine in the movie. 

British actor Joseph Quinn who is most famous for playing Eddie Munson in Stranger Things and has been cast as the Human Torch in next year's Fantastic Four plays Eric, an English law student who is thrown together with Samira. Quinn is excellent in the movie showing audiences his star is quickly on the rise. He also pays more than a passing resemblance to a young Robert Downey Jr. 

Veteran actor Djimon Hounsou plays Henri an enigmatic stranger who crosses paths with Samira and Eric. Henri seems to have a handle on the invaders and what makes them tick and in doing so discovers they have a possible weakness. His character is in the second movie. 

On screen Action

Whilst this movie is a "popcorn flick" thanks to the silent nature of this franchise there was not much popcorn eating going on! I was afraid to even adjust myself in my seat. For the large proportion of the movie I could hear a pin drop in the cinema. The action is this movie is superb, very realistic thanks to in camera affects and the work of ILM (more on that below). Whilst there are jump scares (of which I am not a huge fan) they are thankfully (at least for me!) few and far between, but when they happen it counts. The Death Angels are no less terrifying than in the previous instalments. 

The action as well takes place on a more intimate scale, we are spared the usual building crumbling post-apocalyptic look so very quickly adopted by other movies set in NYC (this is not to say the city does not looked ravaged by they invaders). Happily the beloved Chrysler Building stays in tact! As it is a human drama most of the action takes place at street level.

The set pieces are very well constructed and feel organic and not shoe horned in for the sake of it. The tension is ratcheted up to maximum throughout all the set pieces.  

Cinematography & Effects

Pat Scola who was the DP on Sarnoski's first feature Pig does a fantastic job on this movie, arguably his biggest project yet. Whilst Day One is at times a terrifying movie it is also a beautiful one. The city even though it is getting systematically destroyed is beautifully shot.

Industry titan's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) continue to supply the very impressive effects for this franchise and Day One is no exception. This is an extremely impressive movie and serves as a level up for NYC alien invasion movies. Going hand in hand with superb production design helmed by Simon Bowles, this movie has a fantastic believable look. 

Music, Score & Sound

Alexis Grapsas used by Sarnoski on Pig provides a suitably intense score for the proceedings. It is fantastic, haunting and thrilling in equal measure.

The sound design as in previous movies in the franchise is superb, pin drop silences broken by eery clicking aliens and loud explosions.

Day One is an intelligent survival story that works both as a compelling human drama as well as an alien invasion flick. Nyong'o shines in the lead with very strong support from Quinn and Hounsou. Sarnoski puts himself firmly on the map. 

Verdict  - MATCHED EXPECTATIONS