In 2018, John Krasinski’s post-apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place shocked the world with its masterful directorial debut, which garnered an Academy Award nomination. Of course, like any box office success, the sequel hit theater two short years later and was pretty great. Michael Sarnoski delivers his own spin-off prequel, taking us back to the first days of the mysterious creatures hitting the world in A Quiet Place: Day One.
A Quiet Place: Day One Plot
When New York City comes under attack from an alien attack, a cancer survivor and other survivors must forced to find their way to safety. Quickly after the attack, they realize they must remain silent so the mysterious creatures don’t attack them.
The Critique
As a massive fan of John Krasinski’s world-building within A Quiet Place, I wasn’t sure how to feel about another installment coming without him in the driver’s seat. That said, I was open to the idea of what day one in this world looked like, how the attack began, and understanding of how the silence was first discovered.
In the early stages of the film, we get a brief understanding that Sam is battling cancer, and her will to live is slowly dissipating. Whether it was her sarcastic tone in how she talked to others or how she wrote a poem about how awful the hospice center she was staying at was, you could feel her slowly falling apart into the inevitable.
This storyline is the driving force behind the emotional weight of this film, which, in my opinion, is the reason why Day One provides a depth that we didn’t get from the first two movies. There were emotional moments within the first two movies that made you feel things, but the stakes here felt more moving and powerful, that you connected to Sam in a way that allowed you to feel deeply moved by every step she made.
Lupita Nyong’o is an absolute movie star. Her portrayal of Sam delivers some of the best acting we’ve seen this year. Nyong’o understood that this role had much more depth than even the script had written. Sam is battling cancer, and she has been told time and time again that she is on the verge of dying, but every time a stamp passes, she is still alive. Even with the world falling to pieces around her, she only wanted to wander the streets of New York with her cat and grab one last slice of pizza before it was too late.
The world knows Joseph Quinn for his role as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things, but after Day One, I expect the world to see him in a different light. This kid can act, and in a role where you are 95% acting with your face, body language, and actions, Quinn knocked it out of the ballpark.
New York City is one of the most impactful places a filmmaker can shoot a film. However, if you don’t use it to the film’s advantage, you are missing out on an added character that can tell a story without even saying a word. Michael Sarnoski wisely understood the assignment here with the city and allowed it to be an emotional core through sites, sounds, and, within the characters, actions. New York City is a resilient city for a multitude of reasons, and how Sarnoski represented it was nothing short of incredible.
Conclusion
If you had any questions or qualms about seeing A Quiet Place: Day One because of how great the first two films were, let me be the first to tell you that you need to see this on the big screen. Not only is this film on par with the first two films, but the emotional core at the heart of the film supersedes what they brought to the table. The sights, the masterful sound design and score, and the powerhouse performances from our two leads make A Quiet Place: Day One a strong summer blockbuster you don’t want to miss.
A Quiet Place: Day One hits theaters on June 27.
8/10
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