Overview
As New York City is invaded by alien creatures who hunt by sound, a woman named Sam fights to survive.
Whilst the other films in the Quiet Place series were directed and co-written by John Krasinski, and focussed one one family surviving in a world ravaged by creatures that react to sound, this side-step (or back step) for the franchise throws us back to the events that started it all. Krasinski has planned to make a third and final part of his trilogy, but has allowed others to tell additional stories within the framework, offering story ideas for creators to play with. For this film Michael Sarnoski, who gave us the marvellous Pig in 2021, steps behind the camera to focus on a new bunch of survivors.
Samira, played by Lupita Nyong’o, is a terminally ill cancer patient living at a hospice in New York with her support cat, Frodo. A day out for the care unit takes them into the heart of Manhattan, and thrusts the group into the chaos that erupts as chunks of meteors plummet to the ground, swiftly followed by the emergence of creatures who target any sound and attack. Knocked unconcious in the early chaos, Samira awakens inside a theatre where another survivor, Henri (Djimon Hounsou reprising the role he played in the second film), tells her to stay quiet as military helicopters fly overhead alerting the survivors that the things attacking are drawn to sound – swiftly followed by thunderous chaos of creatures chasing the noise those helicopters are making. To survive, the remaining population must make their way to the south piers for rescue, but Samira has other plans, and sets off to seek out the last slice of pizza available, along the way encountering a terrified lone surivivor, Eric (Joseph Quinn), with the pair forming an awkward alliance.
Early on in the film, as the meteors strike, and clouds of dust billow through the streets of Manhattan, obscuring the creatures attacking in a chaotic and disorienting manner, the film set out the level of spectacle on offer. As the film opens up, we see a destroyed city, and are delivered plenty of moments of thrill and tension as Samira tracks her way through the decimation, encountering peril after peril along her journey. But the spectacle and struggle for survival isn’t the actual story here, and it becomes clear early on that Samira’s journey is a personal one as she picks a cautious path through the desolation to reconnect with memories of a happier time.
Nyong-o is magnificent in the central role, starting the film with a very antagonistic attitude to those around her – with her facing terminal illness, she has no time for niceties with anyone aside from her cat – but when, at the mid point of the film, she encounters Eric, she starts to soften as she unwillingly becomes a beacon of hope for his survival, opening up to him about her life and finding a reason to fight for survival. Quinn is a perfect opposite for her to play against, and he more than delivers in creating a character that we care and worry for, and root for him to survive.
One of the things that I loved about the second film in the series was how it opened up the world setting somewhat, whilst still leaving questions as to how far the creatures’ reach had grown. This film once more builds on that knowledge, and pretty early on makes clear that this attack is not isolated to the US shores. With regards the creatures, we learn nothing new that we didn’t already know from the other films, but as with those films the human aspect, and the grappling with your own fate, is what really draws you in. The closing moments of the film feel earned, and impactful, lingering in your mind long after the credits run.
A Quiet Place Day One offers a strong sidestep tale that compliments the previous films, whilst also serving itself well as its own standalone story. If, indeed, the next film is the last one in the main series, this is a film that shows that there may still be other personal stories that can be effectively told within the setting, and bodes well for the future of one of the smartest franchises of recent history.