“A Quiet Place: Day One” (2024) Movie Review – A Great, Quiet Time.

In today’s state of cinema, it almost seems as if it’s a legal requirement to turn a successful film into a franchise that will ultimately become a cinematic universe. With the “A Quiet Place” series, it has only taken two movies to spawn a prequel/spin-off with brand new characters and other additions. I might be sounding pretty pessimistic about this, but the truth is I felt the franchise needed a change up. It never initially grabbed me as I just thought they were decent. Casting Cillian Murphy in the sequel was straight up the best thing to occur to this series. With a brand new director and cast, “A Quiet Place: Day One” introduces some fresh ingredients that I really dug. Could it be a step up from the rest of the franchise?

New Characters, New Stakes

Heading this prequel/spin-off is a brand new setting: The Big Apple. And I know a million movies are set in New York, but this works extremely well with the plot of the whole franchise. A loud ass city attempting to shut the fuck up. What pushes the bill even further is the new cast of characters. Lupita Nyong’o is a wonderfully gifted actress that carries every scene she is in alone. Her ability to express with silence is undeniable as she is the best acting talent this series has seen. Nyong’o is absolutely fantastic and that’s honestly no surprise. The real surprise has got to be Joseph Quinn who is an amazing revelation. He also provides awesome face acting and he and Lupita conduct sublime on-screen chemistry. You become emotionally invested in them from the start and it’s easy to fall into their despair and will to survive.

Human spirit and will to survive is a very common trope in apocalyptic settings, but “Day One” does it extremely well. New York is the ultimate melting pot of “people helping people” and uncommon relationships blossoming. Having the two main characters be drastically different and still try to help each other survive is downright warm and wholesome. Human connection is deeply rooted in the tone of “Day One” and I really enjoyed its presence.

It May Be Quiet, But It Sure Is Exciting

Taking the helm from John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski leads this project as a young auteur. After his breakout directorial debut with “Pig” starring Nicholas Cage, Sarnoski is given a lot of tools to play around in his New York sandbox. The action is intense and fun and very quickly becomes terrifying. It’s all solidly crafted and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The biggest reward we all collectively reap from these scenes is how completely silent your theater becomes. No joke, I was in packed house and you can hear stomachs growling in there. For that effect, I appreciate greatly.

This is truly a summer blockbuster as well. This movie looks decent and sounds fantastic. The sound mixing and editing is truly distinct and it absolutely creates and better viewing experience. Some of the movie definitely suffers from that mundane gray look that most blockbusters seem to have at this point, but with a budget that is a fraction of what those movies cost it can be forgiven. Please see this on the biggest screen while it lasts.

Overall Thoughts

This is just a swell summer movie that gets the juices flowing. It’s not moving mountains nor is it creating anything unfathomable, but it’s a hour and forty minutes of intensity and fun. Michael Sarnoski does very well with what he is given as a director and you can’t deny he shows more vision than Krasinski. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn bring the juice and chemistry while even tugging at your heartstrings at times. Be on the lookout for Joseph Quinn becoming acclaimed soon. He really does flash great potential as a leading, blockbuster star.

All in all, there is not much else to say. It’s a really good time! My only request for you, reader, is to try and see this flick in theaters if possible. It will be abruptly put on streaming and digital THIS MONTH and cinema truly doesn’t deserve that treatment. Especially a fun, harmless blockbuster horror like “A Quiet Place: Day One.”

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