A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

​“A Quiet Place: Day One” stars Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou.  Released on June 28, 2024, the film has a woman surviving against invading aliens.

The film is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, who's best known for writing and directing “Pig”.  It is a spin-off prequel that serves as the third installment in the “A Quiet Place” film series.  "A Quiet Place" introduced audiences to a world where silence is the only way to survive.  The movie effectively portrayed an intense and isolated nightmare while offering plenty of heart in the family dynamic to elevate its survival horror tropes.  "A Quiet Place Part II" expanded on this concept by continuing the protagonists’ journey through the alien-infested Earth.  The sequel was also known for its haunting and tension-filled beginning, showcasing how these blind creatures first arrived on our planet.  This element, among others, made "Part II" one of the few horror sequels that match the quality of their predecessors.  This particular sequence is being revisited this year as a prequel, portraying the chaotic mayhem from the perspective of different characters, which should tide us over until we reunite with the Abbott family in the upcoming third chapter.  With new characters and a refreshing location at the helm, does this prequel further prove that silence is golden, or is it an unnecessary expansion that’ll cause people to make noise for the wrong reasons?  Let’s find out.

The story takes place before the events of “A Quiet Place”.  It centers on Sam (Nyong’o), a terminally ill cancer patient residing in a hospice in New York City.  During a group outing in Manhattan, Sam’s life was suddenly interrupted by the explosive arrival of deadly alien creatures falling from the sky.  These aliens lack sight but possess ultrasonic hearing to hunt and kill anyone and anything that makes the slightest sound.  As a result, the city is immediately closed off from the outside world by government officials to keep the creatures from expanding across the globe.  Unfortunately, this action left Sam stranded inside the city with the other survivors, including Henri (Hounsou).  Sam must rely on her mentality and her ally, Eric (Quinn), to stealthily survive the invasion and escape from the seemingly indestructible beings.

For those new to my blog, the “Quiet Place” movies are some of my favorite horror movies in recent memory.  While most films from that genre rely heavily on cheap jump scares and one-dimensional characters, “A Quiet Place” and its sequel elevate those elements through tension and emotion, mainly due to John Krasinski’s direction and script.  They created horrific yet uniquely invigorating experiences that make audiences feel like they’re part of the action.  Plus, they were great for keeping people silent in the theater throughout their durations.  With the success these films had despite their PG-13 ratings, “Day One” had plenty of expectations to meet to maintain the concept’s relevance.  In addition to its new director, the film faces the challenge of persuading audiences, including me, of its existence since it’s more of a 90-minute version of the prologue in “Part II”.  More importantly, it must also be frightening without overwhelming audiences with its cheap jump scares and pointless violence.

The "Quiet Place" movies excel in creating tension through John Krasinski's skillful direction.  He effectively captured the terror and unease of maintaining silence in both installments, particularly during the alien invasion depicted in "Part II."  Most tension-filled movies offer a similar direction, but these films elevate it with likable characters and sentimental drama.  “Day One” sees Michael Sarnoski attempting to retain these strengths that Krasinski delivered while reinvigorating the concept with a new setting and different characters.  Based on my experience with it, I thought he accomplished this task pretty well.  While I wouldn’t say it’s as groundbreaking as its predecessors, it’s still a worthy expansion of the franchise’s world-building that didn’t lose sight of its thrills and emotional core.

I hadn’t seen Sarnoski’s directorial debut, “Pig”, before watching this film.  I was interested, but my mindset didn’t feel the same way.  However, watching his approach to the franchise may have given me the push to do so.  Utilizing its production design and Pat Scola’s cinematography, Sarnoski effectively portrayed a gritty and intensely frightening vision of the film’s apocalyptic setting, particularly within a New York backdrop.  With the first two films set in isolated forest-like terrains, “Day One” injects suspense into the city setting, where every noise the characters attempt to avoid adds to the tension.  Regarding his direction, Sarnoski utilized some of its ideas to reflect the phobia of a sound being made, not just with its intense build-up but also the scares.  Yes, it has jump scares like its predecessors, but they’re portrayed in a way that’s genuinely terrifying instead of frustratingly annoying.  In fact, they’re scary enough to make me scream a couple of times, which doesn’t happen very often due to my autism.  Despite some of those moments lacking the profound impact the film was going for, Sarnoski proved to be a solid choice in continuing the franchise, as his vision suitably reflects the soundless world that John Krasinski created.

However, it wasn’t just the alien invasion aspect that elevated “Day One”.  It was also the sentimental soul that made its predecessors more than just typical horror affairs.  Sarnoski’s screenplay portrayed its main characters as relatable individuals on a journey towards freedom, despite some familiar and contained elements lacking in certain areas.  The emotional depth of the film was primarily driven by Sam, who lost her will to live after being diagnosed with cancer.  When she befriends Eric during an invasion, she realizes there are things in life worth living for, even in the midst of hopelessness.  This character arc is one of the film’s strongest aspects due to the genuine emotion of its themes.  Additionally, the movie benefitted from another outstanding performance by Lupita Nyong'o, adding to her impressive track record in the film industry.  Nyong'o effectively portrayed Sam's internal heartache and fear of the unknown, especially during the quiet moments, showing that actions speak louder than words.  While Sam may not have the same thematic impact as the Abbott family from the previous films, she stands as another well-written character in the horror genre.

In addition to Nyong’o, the supporting cast did very well with their performances.  Joseph Quinn was another worthy addition to the franchise, whose performance captured Eric’s traumatic and timid personality pretty well.  Alex Wolff, who previously appeared in Sarnoski’s “Pig,” also had some suitable moments as Reuben, a care worker at the hospice where Sam resides.  The only actor who returned to the franchise was Djimon Hounsou, who previously played the unnamed character in “Part II”.  “Day One” sees him reprising his role of that character, revealed to be named “Henri”, displaying who he was before becoming the leader of an island colony of survivors.  Hounsou is one of the actors whose distinctive voice and talent can deliver rewarding results in their supporting roles, with his performance as Henri being no exception.

Overall, “A Quiet Place: Day One” silences most of its doubters by delivering a refreshing and tension-filled perspective of the horror franchise’s inaudible society.  Its screenplay periodically faltered in matching its predecessors’ simplistic yet unnerving narratives regarding its emotion and the concept’s impact.  Fortunately, it’s never to the point where it becomes another pointless and unwatchable cash grab.  It’s more of an expansion of the franchise’s world-building that reminds me why I loved the first two films.  It’s not just because of its effective scares and thrilling stakes of remaining silent.  It’s also because of the human connection that elevates the horror aspects and the emotional core.  “Day One” might not have made as much noise as its predecessors.  However, it’s still a decent detour back to the early stages of the invasion powered by a compelling cast, Sarnoski’s direction, solid scares, and genuine emotion.  If you enjoyed the previous installments, you’ll likely enjoy this one as well.

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