A Quiet Place: Day One movie review (2024)


The always-great Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam, a hospice stage cancer patient who agrees to a trip into Manhattan for a show with her support group, led by a bearded Alex Wolff (who also starred in “Pig”). The puppet show they attend is fine, but she’s really there for a slice of NY pizza, knowing that it’s likely the last time she will have a chance to taste something she so clearly associates with happiness. Making Sam an end-stage cancer patient adds an interesting layer to the horror that unfolds. How hard do you fight to live when you’re already dying? It’s only one of several intriguing ideas that Sarnoski’s film walks up to but then runs away too quickly, retreating into the thin structure of a survival thriller.

Another big question is, how do you silence one of the loudest cities in the world? Sarnoski’s film informs us that NYC is regularly 90 decibels, setting the stage for a movie about how a city filled with that much hustle and bustle stays quiet. But this isn’t that movie. We never get the sense we’re in a crowded city on the first day of the end of the world, as Sarnoski can’t hide that his film didn’t shoot in Manhattan (it was shot on London soundstages). This makes it feel more like sets than a lived-in reality.

We follow Sam and her movie-stealing cat, Frodo, through this landscape until they’re joined by a panicking young man named Eric (Joseph Quinn of “Stranger Things”). Casting Nyong’o and Quinn proves half the battle with “Day One,” as their extremely expressive faces are forced to do a lot of heavy lifting as the sound-sensitive aliens take over the world around them. They both give strong genre performances, conveying most of the story through pure physicality and expression.

The problem is there’s too little story to tell. Early on, we meet Henri (Djimon Hounsou), a character from “A Quiet Place: Part II”; he gets one of the best scenes in the movie as a man goes into a panic attack in front of him and his son. What would you do? How far would you go to silence a man who might put your family in jeopardy? Would you kill him? It’s a beat that gets a nice callback later when Eric’s panic starts to rise, and we wonder if Sam may have to ask the same questions, but it feels too shallowly developed. Almost every thematic aspect of “Day One” feels hurried, a pace that could be why the once-attached Jeff Nichols left the project over creative differences. It’s hard to believe in the era of bloated blockbusters, but this one should have been longer; its 99 minutes don’t allow for enough character investment, world-building, or actual tension.

You can view the original article HERE.

A24’s 2024 Horror and Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked
A24’s 2024 Horror and Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked
‘Wicked’ Reviews Deliver Near-Perfect Scores for Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s Masterpiece Musical
‘Wicked’ Reviews Deliver Near-Perfect Scores for Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s Masterpiece Musical
“Life is Strange: Double Exposure” Resurrects Beloved Franchise | Video Games
“Life is Strange: Double Exposure” Resurrects Beloved Franchise | Video Games
‘Squid Game’ Creator Teases New Games, Same Old Creepy Doll in Season 2
‘Squid Game’ Creator Teases New Games, Same Old Creepy Doll in Season 2
Hanumankind is riding high on southern pride
Hanumankind is riding high on southern pride
Diddy Accused of Witness Tampering, Intimation from Jail
Diddy Accused of Witness Tampering, Intimation from Jail
Original Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen has died, aged 78
Original Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen has died, aged 78
He Had the Biggest Heart
He Had the Biggest Heart
Is the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Reboot Necessary?
Is the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Reboot Necessary?
‘Paris Has Fallen’ Gets New Hulu Trailer & Streaming Date for U.S.
‘Paris Has Fallen’ Gets New Hulu Trailer & Streaming Date for U.S.
Brilliant Minds Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Lovesick Widow
Brilliant Minds Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Lovesick Widow
Bill Hader Shares Daughter’s Brutally Honest Opinion on Stephen King Sequel ‘It: Chapter Two’
Bill Hader Shares Daughter’s Brutally Honest Opinion on Stephen King Sequel ‘It: Chapter Two’
Jones: McCarthy hasn’t lost Cowboys’ locker room
Jones: McCarthy hasn’t lost Cowboys’ locker room
49ers’ Purdy day-to-day with shoulder soreness
49ers’ Purdy day-to-day with shoulder soreness
Report: Giants benching Jones, DeVito expected to be named starter
Report: Giants benching Jones, DeVito expected to be named starter
Mahomes unbothered by losing undefeated streak: ‘Not our ultimate goal’
Mahomes unbothered by losing undefeated streak: ‘Not our ultimate goal’
24 Best Paranormal Romance Books
24 Best Paranormal Romance Books
Jay Cutler and Samantha Robertson Reportedly Engaged
Jay Cutler and Samantha Robertson Reportedly Engaged
How fame, ferocity and finances are at stake in Netflix fight
How fame, ferocity and finances are at stake in Netflix fight
The 2024 Presidential Election Can Still Shape Puerto Rico
The 2024 Presidential Election Can Still Shape Puerto Rico
Best Early Black Friday Fashion Deals 2024
Best Early Black Friday Fashion Deals 2024
Charli XCX Takes Over Times Square With H&M
Charli XCX Takes Over Times Square With H&M
Best Women’s Loungewear Sets and Pieces
Best Women’s Loungewear Sets and Pieces
What Brought Marc Jacobs and Law Roach to SNL?
What Brought Marc Jacobs and Law Roach to SNL?