Overview
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Nearly three months after a meteor crashed into Mexico, a man and his family try to survive in a world now overrun with aliens with highly sensitive hearing. He seeks to find the simplest sense of normalcy while unable to make a sound above a whisper, which turns out to be a difficult task when trying to raise small children and care for his pregnant wife.
This was quite a different role for actor John Krasinski. Having grown accustomed to his portrayal in comedic roles (The Office, License to Wed), I wasn’t sure what to expect from him in this sci-fi thriller. As it turns out, he’s great in it. Admittedly, I had my doubts that his nearly exclusive acting background in comedies would hinder his performance, but I was pleasantly surprised at the raw emotion he brought to his character. Emily Blunt and the rest of the cast shouldn’t be overlooked either; even the children were incredible in their portrayals.
The entire movie focuses on this one family’s survival, and you might think that would make for a pretty boring movie – actually, given different circumstances, I’m confident another filmmaker would have made that mistake – but instead the movie grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. At no point did I find my mind wandering. The unrelenting suspense grabs you and the focus of each scene demands your full attention. This might be because no one can speak above a whisper, so you really do need to pay attention in order to keep track of what’s going on in the film.
As far as the movie being scary, I can honestly say that ‘A Quiet Place’ is a nonstop sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The originality of such a quiet movie often affected my own surroundings, putting me on edge at the very noises around me. While there are some gross scenes, I wouldn’t call this a gory movie. Instead of using gore and violence, the movie uses the ambiance of the scene to keep you in suspense, and I actually prefer this to simple, bloody scenes. Give me something scary over something gory any day.
In the end, it does have a sort of ‘Signs’ feel, with some familiarity with (insert post-apocalyptic title here), but not so much that it feels unoriginal. I heard rumors that it had connections with the ‘Cloverfield’ universe but those rumors turned out to be untrue. This is a standalone post-alien invasion sci-fi thriller, and I wouldn’t be mad if they made a sequel. If you’re a fan of John Krasinski, aliens, thrillers, or just need something to add to your Friday night sci-fi horror movie rotation, I highly recommend this movie. You will not be disappointed.
This movie is…
Suspenseful and intense.
Cheers and goodnight.
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