How would you survive in a world where you are constantly hunted and just about any sound you make could give you away to the predator? Well, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place throws you into this topsy-turvy world where death is only a normally spoken sentence away. This film has received quite a bit of buzz since it previewed back in December and, I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting it to be as excellent as it was.
Simply put, this was one of the most terrifying films I’ve seen in a very long time.
A Quiet Place is written and directed by John Krasinski (yes, the John Krasinski you know as Jim from The Office.)
The film stars Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott, mother to the family’s three children, and features Krasinski himself as Lee Abbott, father and mentor to his three kids. The Abbotts’ daughter, Regan, who is constantly yearning for her father’s approval, is played by Millicent Simmonds (who gave one of the best child actor performances I’ve seen,) and the Abbotts’ son, Marcus, is played by Noah Jupe.
Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott, Paramount Pictures
The performances in this film are downright excellent and I think it says something to the quality of actors in this film when there are hardly any spoken lines yet we can still feel the emotion and terror felt by each of the characters when certain problems arise. While each of the characters has similar mannerisms when reacting to a terrifying event, their reactions never seem to get old and feel very believable.
I definitely felt immersed in this film due to the stunning performances, especially by John Krasinski who simply outdoes himself in the role of Lee Abbott.
When I first saw the previews, I predictably groaned at the aspect of a film that was primarily silent due to the unavoidable truth that it would have A MILLION jump scares. Well, it does have a ton of jumps scares, and they’re surprisingly done as perfectly as jump scares can be done.
Every jump scare that Place uses isn’t just a cheap way to keep your adrenaline pumping throughout the runtime, but rather as a way to peak your adrenaline. There isn’t a jump scare that’s not predicated on building suspense, leaving the scares feeling effective and suspenseful when they happen. This film is tense from start to finish and A Quiet Place has no problem keeping its audience engaged, even during the exposition that tends to doom a lot of 21st-century horror flicks.
Another aspect of this film that I particularly enjoyed is that, in a lot of horror movies, the protagonists tend to make stupid decisions that end up getting them, or other people, killed. For the most part, the characters in Place tend to make smart decisions that don’t make you want them to get killed. Because of how well each character is written, you care about each child and parent uniquely.
There are no dead characters in A Quiet Place, one great example of how the film is so well written. Each character presents their own unique set of struggles no matter how minor they seem. The struggle that the whole situation that the film presents to each protagonist helps you empathize with each individual, not only providing more layers to the film but also making it not totally reliant on scares and monsters.
Place is also brilliantly edited from a visual, musical, and sound standpoint, reminding me of the brilliant editing we saw from Dunkirk and Baby Driver. While it certainly would be a stretch, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a possible sound editing nomination at the end of the year.
There are a few questions and plot holes that go unanswered if you really wanted to nitpick, but there’s really no reason for this. A Quiet Place sets a tense precedent with a unique premise from the very start of the film, and holds strong in its endeavors, making it what will easily be one of the best horror films of the year. I strongly recommend this one if you’re a horror/thriller/suspense fan.
IS IT WORTH IT?
In one of the most effective, terrifying, and suspenseful horror films I’ve ever seen, A Quiet Place effectively performs all of its scares and provides layers newer horror films won’t dare to touch.
