A Quiet Place: Day One – Movie Review (4/5)

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE is the horror prequel that shows us when the invasion happened – in noisy New York City. Scary and very emotional horror. Read our full A Quiet Place: Day One movie review here!

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE is out in theaters. This is a horror prequel to A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place II. It’s also a spinoff of sorts as we’re following an entirely different set of characters in a new location.

Oh yes, we’re in the middle of New York City when the alien invasion happens. The city that never sleeps and is known for always being noisy. Not the ideal location to be, when the key to survival is being extremely quiet.

Continue reading our A Quiet Place: Day One movie review below. Find it in US theaters from June 28, 2024.

Forget prepping, you need a cat, when the world is ending

In New York City, the background noise is revealed as being 90 decibels. The same as a long continuous scream. A Quiet Place: Day One is all about the day of the invasion. As the tagline goes: Experience the day the world went quiet.

The main character is Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) and if you’ve watched the trailer, you’ll know that she also has a service cat. The cat is named Frodo, and he is clearly what you need when the world is ending.

Cats are notoriously quiet, land on their feet, and have nine lives.

So, forget about prepping, because once the aliens attack, you won’t have time to get your “go bag” anyway. Just have your service cat with you, and you’ll be better off than many others.

Also, he is definitely an emotional support animal for everyone in this movie.

So brutal, beautiful, and heartbreaking

If there is one thing the A Quiet Place franchise has taught us so far, it’s to expect heartbreak. In A Quiet Place: Day One, we get all the brutal and sudden violence of the opening sequence from A Quiet Place II.

However, we also get to witness a lot of beauty in a strange way before we get to heartbreak. Almost the kind of heartbreak we witnessed at the end of the first movie.

In many ways, this movie is a love letter to New York City while also being a heartfelt goodbye to life and the world as we know it.

Alongside Lupita Nyong’o (Us) in the lead role, we also see Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) in a key role. He doesn’t show up until a bit later, though. For the first act, we’re seeing Djimon Hounsou (Rebel Moon) in the role we know from A Quiet Place II.

If you haven’t rewatched that movie in preparation for this prequel/spinoff, then you should. You’ll know part of how this movie ends, as Djimon Hounsou’s character described it in the sequel.

Also, we have Alex Wolff (Hereditary) in a very important role, though it isn’t very big. Neither is that of Djimon Hounsou, which could almost be described as a cameo since it is meant to link this movie to the first two.

Denis O’Hare Not in A Quiet Place: Day One

I was a bit disappointed to realize that Denis O’Hare isn’t in the final cut of A Quiet Place: Day One. Despite appearing in previous trailers and having been mentioned as part of the cast, Denis O’Hare is not in A Quiet Place: Day One.

Maybe we’ll get a Blu-ray or DVD of the movie with some additional scenes, but until then, there’s no Denis O’Hare in A Quiet Place: Day One.

Personally, I was surprised when the end credits came because I kept waiting for the scene with Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story) that I remembered from the trailer. Admittedly I am quite fond of the actor, so obviously I had an extra interest in seeing his scenes.

As of writing this review, the A Quiet Place: Day One trailer is still featured prominently on his IMDb page. Right next to his profile image. However, the movie has already been removed from his list of roles, so the trailer will probably go too.

Watch A Quiet Place: Day One in movie theaters!

Michael Sarnoski is the writer and director of A Quiet Place: Day One. He previously wrote and directed Pig which starred Nicolas Cage in the all-important lead. It’s obvious (in all the best ways) that Michael Sarnoski knows how to make these movies.

The character-driven movies, I mean.

Speaking of characters, this movie is of course based on characters created by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck. The story for the screenplay comes from the co-writer and sole director of the two first movies: John Krasinski.

In essence, the story in this movie is about deciding what matters to you. And who. If you want to say goodbye to this world with a slice of pizza and go down memory lane, then this is certainly your prerogative.

It also makes for a very beautiful and brutal movie that you must watch in a dark and quiet movie theater. If at all possible, of course. This movie deserves that and will deliver so much stronger on key points if you watch it in a movie theater.

A Quiet Place: Day One is out in movie theaters from June 28, 2024.

Details

In Theaters: June 28, 2024
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Drama
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Writers: Michael Sarnoski, Jeff Nichols, John Krasinski
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Wolff, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou