A Quiet Place Review

        This is the first time that I’ve seen A Quiet Place. I have no idea on why I missed out on this one since it came just when I was in college. Perhaps it was just those movies where I had a reservation on just how they would skirt on the gimmick. Or, I was in a middle of binging The Office and reading that John Krasinski directed the film, that it made me weary abour it. I think it says a lot about me that I have really bad takes on any movie that I haven’t seen. To exercise that, here’s what I think. 

1. Silence

        Keeping up with the alien invasion theme of the month, this is also an unorthodox film that has a unique spin on the invasion aspect. Specifically, we’re dropped into a world where the invasion already happened. We see the small town is abandoned with no signs of life. Not even sound effects of people screaming or gunfire, just breeze of the wind to punctuate the world is ominously silent. The opening sequence where we see the Abbots with Krasinski, and his wife Emily Blunt scavenge for supplies. Seemingly showing us that they’re the last survivors.

        I think the secret weapon to elevating the film is by showing just what kind of threat the characters are facing. One of the children is seen playing with a space shuttle toy. Hearing it go off is deafening, and we see the Dad quickly run to rescue him. We don’t see what the creature looks like, but just the blur and quickness of the alien swiping at the kid gives us what kind of movie we’re in. It’s not just having a kid die in the opening minutes is a must, but it really emphasizes the threat and the seemingly impossible task to survive.

        I’ll talk about the aliens in the next tab since they are unique. Overall, the movie is practically revolutionary in the sense that the only dialogue that we have is through American Sign Language. While there is vocal dialogue in terms of whispers and talking. To the extent that the scene involving the father and his son fishing establishes the rules for the movie. When they’re in the waterfall, the dad tells his son that they’re safe since the current’s noise gives them protection. It gives them a leeway, but of course the film can’t take place there.

        It would’ve been easy to screw up this concept by just having the rules be relaxed. What makes it effective is that even in the outside they can’t talk. It reminds me of the film Jaws in the context that the aliens could be anywhere outside the farm or in the general compound. And how one noise faint or otherwise can attract them like blood in the water. Right down to the family moving along a sand trail that’s been prepared by the father. To cover their own footsteps which could be sensed.

        Beyond the fear of a potential attack, I just love the teenage daughter Reagan. The moment where she gets into a sign language argument with her dad and feeling responsible for her brother’s death gives her that edge that she wants to help. Albeit she doesn’t want to risk losing anyone in her family. Just the angst and frustration really show when she sees her dad’s work with finding a way to fix her hearing aid really helps put everything into perspective for her. Aside from the survival, it’s all about love that permeates the film. 

        Lastly, the best scene in the movie is when Blunt’s character is giving birth. The setup is just ingenious with how it prepares us with what’s happening. From stepping on a nail in her barefoot triggers the aliens that are in the area. Just the level of anxiety that fills the room and Blunt being as quiet as she can be and controlling her contractions is just agonizing. She really played that part well and just doing that along with the alien trying to find the sound source is I think the scariest moment in any recent horror film that I’ve seen. 

2. Aliens

        So let’s talk about the aliens. I love that it’s never explicitly shown that it eats what it kills. Specifically that it doesn’t display any sense of intelligence or rationale with what it’s doing. The alien is literally an animal that is an invasive species trying to seemingly survive. And I love how it’s all handled since we don’t see a moment of how they got here. It’s a seemingly mindless creature that reacts to sound and attacks with ferocity and brute strength.

        Design wise, it reminded me a lot of the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise since it has no eyes and Venom from the Spider-Man comics. The appearance has a sort of gorilla stance and when it moves with its long appendages which gives it the quick stride that leads to a kill. It’s head reacts to a sound since it has various plates that’s connected to its inside and it shows it’s very distinct shark-like mouth. I love the shot that it’s odd-looking ear drum is the key to when it reacts to a loud sound.

3. Franchise

        No one could’ve imagined just how successful this film would be both financially and critically. Of course, the final shot would lead to a follow up and I think just how progressive it was to show a deaf character. Along with its use of sign language it’s spotlight. It managed to gross around 300 million dollars with a $17 million budget, and to me that’s a success story in terms of its minimal approach plus its unique story. Of course, I haven’t seen the follow up and there’s another entry that’ll be releasing this year. I’m optimistic since the whole framing of the film is how the creatures invaded and seeing it all started in a massive city.

4. Overall

        A Quiet Place is a unique alien invasion film where it’s unorthodox approach into acting sets up a terrifying encounter with something that reacts to sound.