This is one impressive accomplishment. Such a new and refreshing take on the horror genre. A pulse pounding 90 minutes that pretty much doesn’t let up.
“A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.”
The miracle of birth. It’s truly a special moment in every women’s life. The joy of bringing a child into this world. We all know just how painful an experience it can be. I can’t even fathom it to be perfectly honest, but just imagine going through birth and not being able to make a sound. That’s right ladies, imagine the most painful experience the human body can essentially go through and you have to stay absolutely quiet. Sounds like the worlds worst prank if you ask me. For Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place, it’s actually a reality. That is the premise of John Krasinski new ground breaking horror film. Something has come to Earth and they hunt you based off sound.
I remember seeing the first trailer when it was attached to IT and was intrigued from the get go. You felt it from the trailer that this was going to be a tense and suspenseful film. I didn’t know it was going to turn out to be the scariest movie of 2018. Film-makers have been creating horror movies for about a century so it is really hard to redefine a genre that has stood the test of time. It’s difficult to put a new spin on something and make it stick with the audience. A Quiet Place is that movie. The premise is pretty genius and the way that Krasinski was able to carry this thing out with his almost perfect directing makes for one terrific film. There are 6 people credited with roles and everyone of them accomplishes wonder. When you see the title of the movie, one would hope you realize there won’t be much dialogue throughout, but it doesn’t need it. From the opening scene, which is probably going to end up being one of the better opening sequences from any movie this year. It immediately thrusts you into this world. You’re on the edge of your seat from the mere moments the movie begins.
Creatures have come down to Earth, and actually very little is explained in regards to why this has happened. The movie picks up on day 89 of the “invasion,” so we are thrown into this new world. This is a movie about survival and about family. About how this one family is dealing with this new threat. This isn’t some creature origin story, or a big picture kind of deal. We are only looking through the eyes of the Abbott family, that is it. I didn’t mind that they didn’t give us any backstory, because the movie didn’t need it. You understand that the world has gone straight to hell, and it’s a fight for survival now. That the world has simply changed and this family is doing everything in their power to protect one another. That’s what I kind of liked about the movie the most. It didn’t try to hard to explain itself. You just go on this 90 minute thrill ride and you’re immersed into every single second of it. The movie is scary, I had my hands over my mouth during the first few minutes because you know exactly what is going to happen, but it’s still painful to watch and the fact that they can’t make any noise and watching everyones body language and faces during this type of scene is why the movie is so special. It really makes you think, about going through all these painful experiences and really not being able to do anything, not even cry. I don’t know if I could live in a world like that, and Emily Blunt is so just damn good in this movie. She really brings the whole thing together, and the fact that her and Krasinski are married in real life, I think made the bond between these two people even stronger. The two kids, Noah Jupe and especially Millicent Simmonds who is just fantastic both bring their A game to the table. They really felt like a family.
You can tell Krasinski took some inspiration from other great monster movies. Like Jaws for instance. He knows exactly when to show you the creature and when to tease it. That’s what makes monster movies so good, is when they show their cards at the exact right moment. I thought overall the creatures were pretty cool. I was into their design, and I really liked how they feed off sound. And towards the end of the movie you begin to realize some things about them and how everything ultimately comes together is really well executed. Tons of great jump scares, that aren’t your typical jump scares and a few even caught me off guard. You need to be in a crowded theatre for this one, because it makes the experience so much better. Which luckily I had, I thought it almost made the movie a bit more tense, because you can feel that all around you at certain moments in the film.
Walking out, I wanted more of this world, there is so much more that could be explored. But what we get is just a fantastic 90 minute journey that sucks you in from the very second the movie begins. Sometimes that’s all you need, no big set ups, no world building, no after credits tease, just a really well made film. The setting, the cinematography, the score, everything in this movie is pretty much flawless. It’s a beautifully made movie, with only a budget of 17 million dollars. It made that back on Friday night. I’m really happy for Krasinski, this movie is going to be a juggernaut at the box-office. I’m sensing a Get Out kind of reception and acclaim. I can’t recommend this movie enough, it’s a incredible movie going experience, and it’s movies like this, why I enjoy going to the theatre so much.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – A Quiet Place = 92/100