A Quiet Place: Tag Eins (A Quiet Place: Day One) 
U.S.A./U.K.
2024
Opening 27 Jun 2024
Directed by:
Michael Sarnoski
Writing credits:
John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski, Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
Principal actors:
Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong'o, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler
Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) decides to go to the city with the theater group when Reuben (Alex Wolff) promises they will get pizza before returning to the hospice. Consequently, their bus is caught in the catastrophic chaos when all hell breaks loose. Following the initial free-for-all, the nurse, patient and dozens of others cower in terror, silently, as Henri (Djimon Hounsou) takes charge accommodating and administering. They hear the mighty mayhem outside as military and civilian authorities join forces to fight the dastardly alien invaders. Creatures with supersonic hearing—shhhh—and abysmal eyesight. Pursued by pandemonium Sam, clutching Frodo (her black/white service cat), take to the deserted, wreck-ravaged streets where Frodo’s drawn to an adult male neck-deep in water. Transfixed, Eric (Joseph Quinn) follows the cat, meets Sam and thereafter the threesome struggle with the age-old fight or flight quandary.
Writer-director Michael Sarnoski worked up the story idea with writer-director John Krasinski (A Quiet Place, 2018, A Quiet Place Part II, 2020), and using the characters developed by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. This third installment in the A Quiet Place apocalyptic horror film franchise is a prequel to the first film. Nyong’o’s nuanced performance adds volumes, and together with Quinn and Cat lead a very good cast; production values are exemplary: cinematographer Pat Scola, Simon Bowles production design, Neil Floyd set decoration, and art direction, Nick Dent supervising and Alasdair McKay digital art director. Particularly striking is the attention to details, e.g., note the foreshadowing fighter planes as the bus approaches New York City. The sound effects (David Forshee, editor) and evocative music (Alexis Grapsas) enhance the overall emotive mood.
Some clues important to the story, however, are next to impossible to decipher against the gritty, dark settings. Equally, with such minimal dialogue one would expect to understand everything said, especially whisperings between characters, principally Sam and Eric. Editors Andrew Mondshein and Gregory Plotkin could have satisfied viewers using subtitles. For those entrenched in the A Quiet Place franchise it is doubtful you will be disappointed, and for others, well … (silence). (Marinell Haegelin)
