If you like jump scares, cats, and and ground-zero dystopias, you're contractually obligated to see A Quiet Place: Day One. (No spoilers)
I enjoyed the first two A Quiet Places as decent scary movies that do interesting things with sound design. I also like them because for 90-ish minutes I have a barrage of thoughts like "what if you snore?" or "how do you deal with children?" in a world where the slightest sound attracts blind monsters from space that are waiting to devour you.
Day One is, as the name states, a prequel that's set on the day of the invasion in New York City, one of the world's loudest cities (a drastic departure from the earlier films set in rural cornfields). Our framework for processing everything is through the eyes of Sam (Lupita Nyong'o). Though young, Sam is in hospice, and her facility has taken a group of folks into Manhattan to see a puppet show. With her is her emotional support cat, Frodo, who will 100% steal any scene he's in.
As all hell breaks loose, Sam displays a sort of determined cynicism that only someone who's already dying can have. There's not a ton of plot to spoil, so I can't go into too much detail, but her reaction to everything is absolutely fascinating to watch. Her eyes alone deserve an Oscar for best performance. Instead of trying to evacuate the city on ferries (the aliens can't swim), she chooses to head to Harlem to have one last slice of pizza at her favorite place, Patsy's. Honestly, if the world was coming to an end, I'd do the same and head toward Athens, Georgia and hit up Taco Stand for one last burrito.
The monsters look better than ever, and the film looks sleek and stylized—apparently the director was inspired by the look and feel of fellow dystopian thriller Children of Men. Action-wise, there are some excruciatingly close calls for Sam, Frodo, and eventually Eric (played by Joseph Quinn, who I knew I recognized from somewhere but only after leaving the theatre did I realize it's Eddie from Stranger Things).
Sam and Eric are an unlikely pair to navigate the apocalypse, but their friendship is extraordinarily touching. Did this movie make me tear up a little in appreciation of the goodwill each showed each other? Maybe. There are so many little nuggets of humanity scattered throughout the brutal action scenes that it helps to ground everything. You never forget that there are real people dealing with Lovecraftian horror all over the five boroughs.
As a cat lover, I spent the entire movie worrying about Frodo, too. At various times, he's stuffed into a bag, swimming underwear, and running through the streets dodging aliens. This I will spoil for everyone's well-being: Frodo makes it through okay.
It's hard to explain exactly why this movie is so good, as not much happens. But it's thrilling, sweet, and a great popcorn movie for summer aliens. Go see it.
The Math
Baseline score: 8/10
Bonuses: Lupita Nyong'o gives an incredible performance; so does the Shnitzel the acting cat; it's a horror movie that actually has great acting.
POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker.
