A popular novelty game among families is “the quiet game”. Typically when a group of people attempt to be completely silent, it’s only a matter of time before someone laughs or talks. John Krasinski’s directorial debut “A Quiet Place” illustrates just how much sound humans make on a daily basis.
The film takes place in a dystopian future where blind extraterrestrial creatures hunt anything that makes a sound. One family has managed to remain mute and adapt to a quiet life. But the family knows it is only a matter of time before someone will make a sound and they will be hunted.
Like the best horror filmmakers, John Krasinski understands that the key to a quality horror film is the characters. The opening scene of this film establishes deep seeded conflict in the family. The way the different family members interact feels genuine. Decisions involved in the casting of this film also help the characters seem realistic. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are married in real life and play a couple in this film. Millicent Simmonds plays a deaf character in the film and is deaf in real life. The casting choices and characters in this film feel very true to life and nonfictional.
It is quite interesting to see how the family adapts their lifestyle in order to remain mute. Simple details such as using lettuce leaves instead of plates or game rolling dice on cloth play into how the family stays entirely quiet. The family in this film is smart and it is rather engaging to see how they change their behavior to stay silent.
This film is also marvelously light on exposition. Most details about what occurred prior to the events depicted on screen are revealed through visual details such as newspaper props at locations in the film. The movie leaves most details to the imagination and never spoon feeds the audience with exposition.
About 40 minutes of this film is used to effectively establish the main characters in the film. Following this, the rest of the movie becomes nail biting and relentless tension. Despite the film being riddled with jump scares, no tension is ever released from the film. Each scare builds and adds to the film’s tense feeling rather than detract from it.
The creatures in this film are utterly terrifying. The film doesn’t rely on the creatures remaining hidden to add to their frightening demeanor. The creatures have a unique and highly scary design which is just as frightening as the concept of needing to remain silent.
“A Quiet Place” is a rather refreshing film which restores faith in the lost art of genre filmmaking. This film utilizes a simple concept to its fullest potential. It has memorable characters who feel realistic, terrifying monsters, and smooth direction. “A Quiet Place” is a highly effective genre film which will leave you holding your breath till the credits roll.
Moving rating: 9/10
