‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Review – A Matter of Life or Pizza

Directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig), A Quiet Place: Day One takes place in New York as the monstrous aliens with unbelievably perceptive hearing arrive on Earth and tear human civilization apart.

The film follows Sam (Lupita Nyong’o, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), as she battles cancer. She has a cat named Frodo as a support animal and lives in a hospice as she counts down the days to her imminent passing.

Reuben (Alex Wolff, Oppenheimer), a nurse at the hospice, convinces Sam to take a trip into the city. Meteors fall from the sky during this trip as the monsters from the first two A Quiet Place films begin attacking shortly after that.

Sam knows that if she doesn’t succumb to the monster attacks then she will eventually die from her illness, so she ventures into the city to have one last slice of pizza.

Written by franchise creator John Krasinski and current director Michael Sarnoski, the screenplay for A Quiet Place: Day One is its weakest aspect. The apocalyptic horror spin-off prequel relies on the performances of Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, plus the monster mayhem to entice the audience. At the same time, the actual story is dumber than anything.

A woman is risking her life over some pizza while some guy she just met aggressively assaults her into allowing himself to tag along because he’s scared of dying alone. About eighty percent of Joseph Quinn’s dialogue is him saying the word “Okay” repeatedly. As Eric, Quinn has this PTSD and anxiety-ridden quality based on what he’s gone through. We, as the audience, never learn the cause.

Typically speaking, a third film in a franchise set before the previous films would give the impression that it will explain some things that the other films didn’t. It could be an origin story or reveal information we didn’t know before. A Quiet Place: Day One doesn’t do any of that. You get some meteors and a relentless attack a few minutes later. The film does, however, explore the concept of water being a weakness for the murderous creatures.

There’s a sequence that looks like Eric stumbling onto an egg nest for the creatures. However, the creatures begin eating the contents of the eggs. So the reasonable conclusion is that they either eat their own young or they brought snacks from space as they slaughter humanity.

The performances, particularly of Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, are extraordinary. The concept of these films requires actors who can thrive with a limited amount of dialogue. Nyong’o can tell a story with her eyes alone and facial expressions that are just as heartbreaking.

Joseph Quinn is just as expressive. However, his performance is more based on feeding off of what Nyong’o brings to the scene. Eric is aimless before he meets Sam. You sympathize with him despite his unusual behavior. He bonds with Sam’s cat Frodo, who is easily the best character in the film. This cat manages to be a mainstay in the film despite his chaotic and typical cat-like behavior.

A Quiet Place: Day One has a formula for prioritizing strong performances and monster mayhem over actual logic. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn deliver exceptional performances. The film makes you pay attention to what’s occurring in the background throughout.

The monsters are as visually stunning as ever, and the way the film uses smoke to make such open city sequences feel claustrophobic is masterfully done. But the storyline is borderline idiotic and the Eric character dribbles stupidity in every direction.