Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

A Quiet Place : Day One 

This film is going to divide people due to how it executes its narrative in compression to the other two films that came before it but I honestly think this film is amazing! Now I have been following the Quiet Place trilogy if you want to call it that since its creation back in 2017 and I was totally blown away with how John Krasinski brought that first film to the screen in his first ever directed film so a lot of people have been keeping up with this trilogy ever since the beginning. As then when Part II came out in 2021 which expanded the world even further and delivered once again another great entry the audience is to ask themselves where do you go from their as the family’s arc from the first two films was completed after part II. So when this prequel was announced I thought that was such a smart way to go back to the world of a Quiet Place without it feeling like what we have seen before and also fill in the gaps and answer questions we didn’t know about from the first two entires. This film is able to explain how the world became how we see it when we see the first Quiet Place film while giving us new characters and some being call back characters that get even more screen time so we learn why their in the first two films to begin with. It also delivers great scares and once again the sound design and sound mixing on this is outstanding. A Quiet Place : Day One is a worthy entry into the trilogy that is terrifying, engaging and incredibly well acted. 

Firstly, The Journey they take the audiences and characters on in this film is unlike what the first two films did. Now it is a slower paced film which is fine for me but some may find it to be a tad boring which I never felt as what made this trilogy so memorable to begin with is its ability to do something new and fresh that’s why this horror trilogy has remained so popular. So to see them take a direction where it’s big in scale but feels so intimate and personal is the best way to describe the style and narrative approach of this film. What makes these series of films so different then your average horror film is one simple thing that they cover so well throughout all 3 of the films which is the exploration of the human spirit. Now the first two films show the living conditions of how they have adapted to such a tense and hard situation but this film shows how they first reacted to the horrible situation and the sheer ability to want to live it feels so much like a survival film. Now the film does not try to bite off more then it can chew and takes a character who is In a not so great health situation and then thrusts her into a horrible world atmepshhore and shows that she just wants to live and kicks her fight or flight responses into gear and the film explores the sides of the human experience in a way that they have never tapped into before. The film is able to show the progression of a friendship that is formed from the chaos that is happening around them and you see it just build and by the end of the film form this loving relationship that is incredibly touching. The film delves into themes of the human condition, the primal need to survive and in many forms love which is shown in such a beautiful way and I cannot express how greatly the film is able to communicate to the audience when it comes down to it how much we value connection with others and to bond and love one another. Yes the film is set during a horrific backdrop but it is able to feel so personal with its message during something so terrifying now it still has those scares but it also shows the great heart at the centre of it which is what makes this film really connect with me in a deeper way that the first two films didn’t. Not saying they didn’t effectively work it is just that a Quiet Place Day One explores themes in such an emotional way that this trilogy hasn’t gone to before. The way the narrative is approached and the sheer way the style of the film is presented is very raw, heartbreaking, terrifying and nail biting they really nailed the chaos of how the world would of reacted to a invasion like this but also it shows the unity people would do in order to keep the human race alive. In a divided world and state we are living in right now seeing a film that shows human beings doing their best to help others regardless of race or beliefs but just to survive their is a element from that I found that speaks volumes and A Quiet Place Day One is able to thrust you into this horror landscape and give fantastic scares while also finding ways to touch your heart and its incredibly done. 

Secondly, The performances from the two leads are solid! Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn are fantastic in this film starting off with Lupita who delivers a truly stunning performance of emotional hardship and will break your heart in two with her amazing ability to soak up each raw feeling that is going on in her characters heart through her eyes. She has great moments where she speaks she has been through some truly hard things in her life that makes her so closed off and sarcastic towards everyone around her and Lupita captures that emotional distance from others so well in her performance giving a great portrayal of this character in what is another truly great role she gets to sink her teeth into and explore the heart of this individual in great detail. Joseph Quinn plays this guy who is lost in the chaos of what is going on and is hungry to feel safe and secure and when he comes across Nyongo’s character he can’t help but need that human connection with her. You can see the desperation in his eyes and the shakiness in his voice he is terrified and Joseph conveys that so well through his character. He also gets the emotionally closed off woman he is with to slowly open up and they form a beautiful bond through the terrifying experience their sharing together and Joseph does a great Job at getting her to open up while also sharing that need to survive while also trying to make the best out of the situation he is currently in and he has such a likability to him you can’t help but fall in love with. Joseph Quinn is fantastic in this film further proving to people he is a force to be reckoned with and I can see him making a big name for himself in the industry for years to come. The rest of the cast are all good but it is the two key performances from its leads that truly blew me away. 

Lastly, A Quiet Place : Day One is very different narratively compared to the previous films which is why so many people may just chalk this film up to being boring or not interesting which I can’t seem to understand. It is about how human being lean on one another through tough times and how beautiful it is is to see these two strangers find a way to get along and connect through a truly horrifying situation. The film aside from the great tone this film has also gives spine chilling scares and set pieces that will have you jumping out of your seat and they’re not cheap scares either they are greatly crafted. This film is in my opinion the best quiet place related film since the first film as it is such a touching film about the need to connect with humans and the will to survive this film is brilliant in every sense of the word A Quiet Place Day One is one of the most well thought out and amazingly well written horror films I have seen this year! I recommend everyone go see this on the biggest screen possible as the sound design is worth it to enrich the experience of this film. 

This film centres around the day that the wold was hit by the creatures and how the world learned to be quiet

Rated PG - 13  : Violent Content/Bloody Images|Terror

Lupita Nyong’o : Lupita delivers a performance of emotional toughness but also heartbreaking vulnerability wrapped up in a role that is so engaging to see unfold. Now Lupita is no stranger to the genre of horror as she gave one of my all time favourite horror performances in the Jordan Peele film US. So to see her revisit this genre she already blew people away with once before I was very excited her tackle the world of A Quiet Place. Now she is a talented actor that is trying to find ways to top per previous performance and I’m not saying this is like some career best performance but it should be noted her work in this film is truly great though. As she plays a woman who has been tackling cancer and she is very quiet and keeps to herself as she does not like opening up as that is established early on in the film and the only thing she really cares about is her cat and taking her life day by day. So when the wold is hit by a creature invasion that girl we saw that was very quiet and sarcastic goes into full on fight or flight as she will do anything it takes to survive. As she shows us she wants to live and she won’t go down and so to see her smartly and strategically get through the city with making very little noise she does and learns to adapt to the incredibly new harsh living conditions that hundreds are being picked off by within the hour by these creatures. We see the humanity in her heart through multiple moments in the film as for a lot of it she was very much just wanting to get by now we the audience see how selfless she is and the sheer want to help others all get out of this Alive. As at first she knew she’s dying of cancer but with the whole world being affected that emotional mask of her giving up is thrown right out the window as we see she genuinely wants to live to see another day. When she comes across Joseph Quinn’s character he was a person that she needed at that moment as he becomes a solid base for her to open up and show that it is okay to be vulnerable. He shows her from their first encounter how scared he is and just needs company to the point that he follows her until she asks him to go away and his response to her is how scared he is and she can see that so she stops being so hard on him and lets him keep her company. She opens up about her health situation and how she is just like everyone else she is scared but won’t let people see that on her face as she feels when the last time she was vulnerable was with her dad who she shared so many memories with. Seeing Lupita channel the hesitation of being open with another person was heartbreaking but she also was able to access such a vulnerable side of her heart to perfectly bring this character to the screen. As the film progresses that part of her soul that was sarcastic and closed off starts to feel more love in her heart and that joy she spoke about having is slowly brought back due to the man who is with her along this journey help her open up more. That light in her eyes that is full of love and joy slowly builds back in her and Lupita is able to show that progression of her soul feeling whole again and it is such a touching performance that is so subtle but packs a punch of emotion in it. When you see the sheer pain in her eyes when we meet her to how alive she feels at the last frame of the film we see that amazing arc she goes on and she brings such a great amount of depth to the character that has your eyes on her as she is putting her whole heart into this role. It’s in mu opinion one of her strongest performances she has ever given as she is able to draw you into this very emotionally distant person and get you to know about her personality and fragile heart. Lupita ignites the screen with a truly outstanding performance that is full of emotion and is truly gripping to see she delivers an amazing performance. 

Michael Sarnoski : This filmmaker did an Incredible  job at brining this film to the screen! As someone who just did one small indie drama with Nicolas Cage a few years ago and yes got a ton of critical acclaim to doing a big indie trilogy like this is quite the heavy task to take on and he stuck the landing beautifully. Now he took the trilogy in a very different direction unlike the first two films that had a ton of scares and to be fair this film still yes has a ton of scares and are affective and genuinely terrifying that made the hair on my skin stand up.  But as great as the horror element is for the film the best part of the story and tone he set for the narrative is the human element that is at the centre of the film and is the heart of what is the strongest aspect of the film in my opinion. He really explores in such a beautiful way the human condition and just how essential the need to connect with others is in such a important way even though the film is set during the backdrop of a horrific setting that aspect is essential for the storytelling of this film. Having that be the main focus on the film I think was such a smart idea as it makes it stand out unlike most horror films as it feels so grounded and realistic in how people would react in a situation like this they would lean on others for support. In many ways it is very emotional and will move the audience and fill their hearts with such emotion. He is able to breath fresh life into this trilogy by bringing it into a very different directional style that I think was so smart and worked for this type of film while still giving those spine chilling scares that we want from the Quiet Place films while also exploring new ground we haven’t seen this trilogy go in before. He also gets terrific performances from the cast and really impressed me with his ability to deliver both great scares and also have a ton of emotional depth to not just the story but its characters in a way that was so affective for the entire film and made it stand out in such a great way he was the perfect person to take over directing duties from John Krasinski who started this whole world and I cannot wait to see what he does next as he nailed this film taking on a big budget horror film like this is no easy task and he did a incredible job at putting his own style on it without it feeling like something we have seen before and giving us a new experience into this world we have come to love. Michael did a truly great job at the helm of this film.