Movie Review: A Quiet Place (No Spoilers)

A Quiet Place : In theaters 4/6/2018

Synopsis: A family struggles to survive against brutal and lethal creatures that hunt by sound.

Directed by: John Krasinski
Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

The movie stars John Krasinski as the father,  Emily Blunt (who is Krasinski's wife) as the pregnant mother and there 3 children played by Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward & Millicent Simmonds. There is an obvious chemistry between these actors that I found very endearing. What seems to be missed by a surprisingly high number of directors making horror/suspense films is that the protagonist characters must be relatable to the audience. In many cases however, I think it's obvious the care isn't there when making a movie in which the characters are just as crazy or weird as the villain(s). When this happens, you find yourself not caring about any of the characters. Thankfully, it's very obvious there was a lot of care during the making of this movie.

The movie sets things up nicely and establishes each of the characters personalities quickly and effectively as well as their relationships with each other as a family.  It feels effortless to learn about these characters even with the lack of verbal communication with each other because in this movie, silence is survival. From very early on in the film I was invested in their struggle and wanted to see them succeed and survive.

A horror movie is only as good as it's villain. Should your villain be flat, unconvincing or just plain boring the movie will fail. All of your classic horror films have fantastic villains that grab your attention. The creatures in A Quiet Place certainly capture your attention. They are very convincing as a threat which only builds more and more as they are revealed further as the film progresses.

Expressing the importance of the characters needing to stay silent to avoid being hunted by the horrifically brutal creatures could've easily become tedious and repetitious. However, I never felt this once during the film. To me, the threat was ever present hence the silence always felt very important. A Quiet Place effectively embraces the need for silence and uses it masterfully to build a foundation of suspense that is almost palpable.

The world the characters now live in & the remnants of how things used to be are shown effectively throughout the film without feeling repetitious. Nor does it drag the story to a crawl and the pace is this movie moves you right along. There are no flashbacks to show how where the creatures came from or the family's life before things went bad which I was pleased with. The movie is keeps you focused on the present with glimpses of the past through the family's home, pictures and news papers as it gives you enough background story from these sources. I felt the film does a wonderful job of putting you right there with the family and demands that you keep your attention to what is happening. Just like the characters in this movie need to do to survive.

Summary:

A Quiet Place is a well balanced and tight adrenaline ride. It takes you to the depths of despair and fear while showing the strength of the human spirit. From the beginning to the very end it has you on edge of your seat & wondering what will happen next. A thrill ride and a must see.