“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski, is a 2024 sci-fi horror thriller set to release in 2024. It is a prequel to the horror series and part of The Quiet Place franchise originally created by John Krasinski. Unlike the previous two films which centered around the Abbott family and their survival during the onslaught of terrifying creatures that hunted using sound, Day One shifts the focus to the harrowing start of the apocalypse – when the world first goes silent.
The narrative follows Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), who is still a woman in posession of NYC when the supernatural beings make their entrance. In comparison to the tranquil landscapes in the earlier films, with Day One being set in the chaos of urban areas, it showcases silence as something that cannot be attained. The initial scenes depict life in the city as normal, filled with an array of ghastly sounds, until the sparkle covers which is non stop terrifying, dark skies and monsters appear and woah the world goes into unimaginable silence.
A terminally ill poet, Sam finds herself in the midst of chaos after the horrific monsters kill anyone who makes even the slightest noise. While navigating through the decaying city, she discovers that the creatures’ only weakness is their blindness, but their acute hearing makes survival nearly impossible.
Sam meets Eric (Joseph Quinn), a young man who is furiously trying to find his family. Together, they form a precarious alliance as they try to escape the city. Their journey takes them through a network of abandoned buildings, underground passages, and perilous city roads where the slightest misstep—a cough, a whisper, a misstep—could lead to certain death.
The film’s structure has been designed in such a way that emotional tenderness leaps from the tension-filled moments throughout Day One. Smam’s struggle is twofold: overcoming an alien threat and coming to terms with the knowledge that, even before the world ending, her existence was on borrowed time. Connection with Eric shines light and hope amidst the otherwise overwhelmingly bleak reality.
Unlike its predecessors focusing on family and homebound survival, Day One is about chaos, collapse, and the initial gut-wrenching understanding of loss. It offers a brutally vivid portrayal of an immediate response to an omnipresent danger: panic, bewilderment, and frantic self-defense.
The film’s climax is a nerve-wracking scene of an attempted escape by ferry, where hundreds of survivors are crammed into silence, praying they won’t be heard by the beasts. Sound, of course, does break and utter pandemonium comes afterward. Sam and Eric must make heartbreaking choices, thus repeating the franchise bitter-sweet allusion: survival requires sacrifice.
Cast & Crew
With a spectacular performance as Sam, Lupita Nyong’o carries the film. Having receiving an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave and stunning audiences in Us, Nyong’o emotes depth, humanity, and quiet strength. Sam’s inner conflict blends seamlessly with her terror, allowing Nyong’o to display her unparalleled emotional resonance.
Quinn, who recently attained popularity as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things, takes on the role of Eric, a young man grappling with the complete breakdown of civilization. Quinn gives Eric impressionable depth laced with apprehension of the unknown, fear, and vulnerability while showing some latent strength within him.
Alex Wolff joins the cast as a supporting actor portraying a fellow survivor, which adds an additional layer of humanity and tragedy to the film. Wolff is known for playing roles in Hereditary and Old.
This marks Michael Sarnoski’s as the film’s director, who received widespread praise for Pig (2021). Sarnoski takes the mantle for A Quiet Place: Day One blending breathtaking horror scenes with character-driven interactions. His direction features the macro perspective of New York’s downfall alongside the micro world of the internal struggles of the people trying to survive.
The franchise’s spirit is kept alive with John Krasinski — the original creator and director of the first two films — returning as a producer.
As the city turns into a graveyard with shattered remnants of what it used to be, head cinematographer Pat Scola, captures incredible long tracking shots. The pacing within claustrophobic angles of the city paired with sudden outbursts of movement creates a new realm. Visual narration is essential in this series due to their hallmark dependency on sparse dialogue.
Like in past films, Desplat’s score captures his signature brilliance, but the elements are different this time. He interweaves more frantic and sorrowful melodies that align with the urban violence and deep loss reflected in the narrative.
IMDb Ratings
At this moment in time, A Quiet Place: Day One has a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb which shows that both critics and the audience had an overall positive reception of the film. Original film fans have appreciated the prequel for its incredible sound design, as well as its ability to build on the lore of the story without losing the suspenseful atmosphere that the franchise is known for.
Critics have commended the performances, along with Sam’s character portrayal done by Lupita Nyong’o. Her character’s emotional intricacy turns the film from merely a survival story into a haunting exploration of death, optimism, and intimacy. Others have praised the dynamic between Joseph Quinn and Nyong’o, claiming that was also a notable performance.
Film critics claimed that the new urban location removed the stale feeling the franchise was developing and provided new daunting challenges and terrifying scenarios that the countryside simply could not. The pandemonium of a large crowd’s panic mixed with the silence needed made for some of the most shocking and intense scenes in this series.
Yet, some critiques argue that the emotionally rich story of the prequel feels simpler than the multi-layered family dynamics presented in the original A Quiet Place. A few viewers thought that the narrative was too restrictive because it zeroed in on a small set of characters amid a massive global disaster, and wanted to explore how the world’s collapse unfolded from different angles.
Day One is still seen as an excellent addition to the A Quiet Place universe, with an overwhelming amount of positive reviews.
Conclusion
A Quiet Place: Day One was able to maintain the franchise’s unique style while expanding its scope. The emotional heart of the film lies within heart-wrenching violence, masterful direction by Michael Sarnoski, and arresting performances, particularly from Lupita Nyong’o. She brilliantly portrayed a woman fighting a battle that was as deeply human as it was horrific.
While the franchise offers glimpses into how people survived in the silence post-apocalypse, Day One breathtakingly contextualizes how the world fell silent, adding emotion and depth. It enhances the world of A Quiet Place while standing strongly as a prequel.
Character-driven smart horror fans consider ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ a chapter that proves silence has never been more terrifying and for them, this one is unforgettable.
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