A Quiet Place was a huge box office hit when it was released in 2018, with its largely dialogue-free scripts ramping up the intensity of the theatrical experience. That paved the way for a sequel a few years later, and now we’re going to see where it all began, in the upcoming horror movie from director Michael Sarnoski. With A Quiet Place: Day One’s release date approaching on June 28, critics have had the opportunity to screen the post-apocalyptic series’ third offering, and critics aren’t in agreement over what they’ve seen.
In the timeline of A Quiet Place, the new installment takes place around the same time as A Quiet Place: Part II’s prologue, which shows Earth being invaded by sightless extraterrestrial beings with an acute sense of hearing. Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn star, with Djimon Hounsou reprising his role from the sequel. So what are the critics saying? In CinemaBlend’s review of A Quiet Place: Day One, our own Eric Eisenberg says this premise has run out of steam, with the prequel making no effort to bring any fresh perspective to the aliens or the franchise’s world. He rates the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing:
In retrospect, there isn’t anything offered or answered for fans in A Quiet Place: Day One that isn’t featured in the aforementioned A Quiet Place Part II prologue – and that’s a comparison of a 100-minute feature with a 12-minute sequence. It’s a major disappointment on just about all levels, and pretty much kills any interest in future stories from this world.
May Abdulbaki of ScreenRant agrees the franchise has overstayed its welcome, saying the prequel lacks emotional depth and creativity, has a weak storyline and underdeveloped characters. If that isn’t enough, Abdulbaki also says the creatures are less scary than in the previous two movies. The critic rates the movie 2 stars out of 5 and says:
A Quiet Place: Day One had potential, but it squanders some of its goodwill early on and never recovers. It’s a tension-free viewing experience that leaves a lot to be desired. Nyong’o puts in a solid performance, and the feeling of coming alive again when one’s body and the world around them is deteriorating is effectively communicated. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t invest in its characters or in its world beyond the surface, so why should we?
The above critics, however, may be in the minority, because others, like Jordan Hoffman of EW find Day One to be thrilling and even quite touching in its non-alien moments. The critic likes seeing how the invasion affected a big city like New York, giving the movie a B+ and writing:
Another good thing about Day One is that you’ll get a really good look at the aliens crawling all over Manhattan from some sky-view shots. We still don’t really know why they want to kill everyone (are they eating the people? I’ve seen three of these movies and still don’t know) but the fear that even the slightest sound will summon them from anywhere is even scarier in the urban environment than in the previous installments out in the sticks.
David Rooney of THR agrees that setting A Quiet Place: Day One in New York makes all the difference, as well as focusing the story around found family instead of parents protecting their children. The prequel proves, according to Rooney, the franchise is far from tapped out. In the critic’s words:
Seeing New York swarming with vicious monsters — scrambling over buildings and leaving giant gashes in their walls, while the streets are lined with burning car wrecks and destroyed storefronts — makes a big impression. Sarnoski and a crack visual effects team position these scenes in the best tradition of alien apocalypse movies. But they acquire added dimension from the unsettling spectacle of brash, noisy Manhattan shocked into nerve-shredding silence. Every sound seems heightened, and every sudden noise sends a jolt right through you, along with a shiver of dread, an effect given amplitude by the discreet use of Alexis Grapsas’ relatively minimalist score.
Kate Erbland of IndieWire grades the movie a B, praising Lupita Nyong’o’s performance and saying the story adds new layers to the franchise and is able to stand on its own merits. Erbland continues:
Two movies in, we’re well-aware of the dangers of the all-hearing, barely-seeing aliens that have landed on Earth, but Sarnoski also delights in playing up their other terrifying feature: once they hear you, once they clock you, they just take you, whoosh you away, it’s over. The less we see of the aliens, the better, and Sarnoski leans heavily on the abject fear his characters (and audience) feel once someone makes just a hair too much noise, knowing exactly what’s coming next.
Ahead of its theatrical release on Friday, June 28, the alien invasion movie is drawing mostly positive assessments from those who have seen it, holding an 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, some critics think Michael Sarnoski doesn’t do enough creatively with the world he inherited, resulting in a less-than-scary offering. Will you be giving A Quiet Place: Day One a try? Be sure to check out what else is hitting theaters soon with our 2024 movie release calendar.
