Lupita Nyong’o stars in “A Quiet Place: Day One.” Credit: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures via TNS
The 2024 summer movie scene has kept a steadily slow pace, with almost every film this season being mediocre aside from the occasional gem.
To a certain extent, fans of horror and creature films will find that “A Quiet Place: Day One” just might give them the summer scare they crave.
“A Quiet Place: Day One” marks the third film in the “A Quiet Place” franchise and serves as a respectable prequel to the creative property’s pre-existing flicks.
The film follows three residents of New York City: a woman receiving hospice care, Sam — played by Lupita Nyong’o (“Us”) — a law school student, Eric — played by Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) — and a cat named Frodo, all of whom sneak their way across Manhattan in an attempt to survive the alien apocalypse that has just begun.
The film’s main strength comes from its two stars, whose chemistry leads to some great, lighthearted character moments. While I found myself attaching a little bit more to Quinn’s warmhearted yet understandably terrified character, Nyong’o nevertheless brings an excitingly bold perspective to the franchise.
The main characters in past “A Quiet Place” films have all been people focused on surviving, but Nyong’o — who has an unspecified terminal disease — accepted her death long before the apocalypse began. Throughout the story, she consistently keeps her cool and remains the film’s main emotional anchor, exuding a cynical sense of apathy due to her already determined fate.
The film’s setting is also an undoubted positive. Past installments have been set in much more secluded areas of the world, but having an apocalyptic film set in a bustling location like New York City is bound to be exciting.
Throughout the film, there are many run-ins with aliens, allowing for an exciting audience experience. The main characters keep viewers on their toes as they continue to come up with innovative ways to avoid aliens, whether that means making noise while fleeing as a distraction or slipping away unnoticed.
The movie’s other notable triumph is having a PG-13 rating and still establishing a sufficiently scary atmosphere. The greatest horror films of all time are typically R-rated, so to have a film be more accessible without sacrificing the entertainment factor is a great victory.
Being a fan of horror films, I believe the original “A Quiet Place” is one of the most inventive films in the genre’s recent history. After all, having a film that completely cuts off dialogue is something that hasn’t been seen much since the silent film era.
In terms of the plot, however, “A Quiet Place: Day One” does little to reinvent or alter the franchise’s formula in any way.
On the whole, I found myself wanting to see more scenes similar to the film’s opening sequence when the aliens land and start attacking, but Nyong’o loses consciousness almost instantly, causing the exhilaration to fall short.
One of the most interesting choices made in the original films is the fact filmgoers are thrown right into the already-apocalyptic world and do not get to see the chaos of aliens’ first arrival on Earth. Though this film gives audiences a glimpse of this chaos, it still feels like viewers haven’t seen the full scope of the initial turmoil.
What follows is the sometimes gripping story of Nyong’o and Quinn’s mission to travel to the opposite side of Manhattan in search of a nostalgic pizza joint Nyong’o fondly recalls from childhood — and, hopefully for Quinn, survival. Of course, there are thrilling moments sprinkled throughout this journey, but I found myself bored watching them simply react to what was happening around them.
All the while, it is hard to discern why Quinn’s character is even invested in this pizza quest, seeing as audiences never really see him grapple with his own mortality in the way Nyong’o’s character does. At the end of the day, watching the cat was arguably just as gripping as watching the main characters.
While “A Quiet Place: Day One” is not a perfect film and the plot is sometimes messy, it does provide the occasional exciting moment and decent character work. Regrettably, there is just not much else, making for a slightly underwhelming trip to the theater
Rating: 3/5
