Movie Review: A Quiet Place (2018)

In my movie reviews, I usually try to avoid any spoilers that are not in the trailer or the first half hour of the movie. You can watch the trailer at the end of this post.

A Quiet Place is directed by John Krasinski and stars John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe.

The film begins on day 89 of some kind of post-apocalyptic world with few survivors, in 2020. We hardly see any humans besides the family at the focus of the film. Some sort of invasive alien species has wiped out most of the human race and presumably most animal species. Like many good monster movies, we see only glimpses of the monster aliens in the first half of the film. This works, focusing on the terror endured by the human characters. The aliens are blind with super-sensitive hearing.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt play the parents of 3 children who live on a farm and must walk silently to the nearest deserted town whenever they need supplies. The most memorable scene from the trailer is in the beginning of the film. While the family is quietly walking across a bridge, the youngest boy pulls out a spaceship that makes beeping noises. This is enough sound to alert the aliens that hunt and kill any animal prey. It is fitting that we are introduced to the aliens by the noise of a toy that symbolizes human advancement and space exploration. Whatever technology brought us to the stars may be the same technology that ultimately destroys us. Did a human spaceship bring back alien life or did they arrive here in their own spaceship? Did our search for extraterrestrial intelligence alert these aliens to our presence? This movie doesn't seek to answer those questions. All that matters at this point is survival.

The family walks barefoot outdoors on trails of sand and plays monopoly with pieces made of yarn. How can they hope to keep a baby silent enough to live in this world? Even raccoons are eaten by these alien creatures. Anything beyond constant noises like running water will attract the killer aliens almost immediately. The family communicates only in sign language, already having a daughter who is deaf. The first scene merely introduces the viewer to the situation. It quickly jumps to day 473 where the mother is pregnant with another child. Life has not gotten any better for the family.

It is downright amazing that a mostly silent film with subtitles has brought in close to $300 million. Perhaps mainstream audiences can now appreciate the works of French New Wave directors and silent films from 100 years ago. Alright, I won't hold my breath for that. This film works because the director knows how to carry tension throughout the film. Trust me, this film is not boring. It's suspenseful. Ever since Jaws, many monster movies have copied Spielberg's technique of not fully showing the monster until the last act of the film. Sometimes it's done wrong as in the 2014 version of Godzilla where audiences were left waiting too long see the star of the film. But a good monster film like A Quiet Place knows that the terror is in the human reaction rather than the monster alone.

I am not a fan of most horror films, but this is a rare one I enjoyed from start to finish. This keeps viewers in suspense and is creative in the ways the characters try to avoid being eaten by the monsters. The setup feels similar to the first seasons of The Walking Dead except it does not drag on forever and sticks to the idea of people remaining silent to avoid attracting the monsters. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

This trailer is the property of Paramount Pictures

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