A Quiet Place
Composite Score: 85.08
Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward, and Leon Russom
Director: John Krasinski
Writers: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski
Genres: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for terror and some bloody images
Box Office: $340.95 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
A Quiet Place is John Krasinski’s film, co-written with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, about a family struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world full of blind aliens who attack any noise made by humans. The film stars Emily Blunt and John Krasinski as the parents of the film’s focal family and Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as their two surviving children, having lost their youngest in the early days of the apocalypse when he was playing with an electric toy space shuttle that drew an attack from the aliens. The film received critical and audience acclaim, making more than 20x its budget at the box office, being counted among the ten best films of 2018 by multiple publications, and receiving awards nominations for its sound editing (Oscars), score (Golden Globes), and screenplay (WGAs) and a win for Emily Blunt for supporting actress at the SAGs that year. Its tight story about a family trying to live in a new normal is elevated by the film’s original premise and use of silence, all of which make it one of the best horror films of all time and a film worthy of recognition among the greats.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Because of its very premise, A Quiet Place ends up being one of the more immersive horror films in recent history and, as such, can be difficult for some audiences to make it through enjoyably. The emotional beats of the family/coming-of-age drama that plays out over the silent creature feature only go so far in keeping this film light enough to maintain its PG-13 rating. On the whole, the film remains a tense slog from start to finish that may or may not cater to everyone’s preferences in sci-fi/horror films. Where jump-scares usually serve as a tension break for a brief bit of time in a horror film, this film’s jump-scares only end up briefly breaking the tension before resubmerging the audience in the eerie silence that has them on edge – they serve more as a detrimental speed bump than a beneficial break in the frightening moments. It’s not so much a film of non-stop scares or even of atmospheric horror. It’s more of a high-tension thriller that will leave you frazzled by the time it all wraps up. For those of you who like that type of thing, the film probably already sits among your favorite horror films, but for those who prefer more reserved and less tense horror films, this might not be the one for you.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
As horror films go, A Quiet Place is one of the more original of the last few years, using the rules of its monsters to emphasize a classic horror trope – the unknown silence. This use of silence and sound to instill a sense of fear in the audience isn’t something new to the horror genre but utilizing it as the primary scare tactic very much is, and Krasinski and his team accomplish that goal excellently. The use of silence and sound gives weight to every bit of sound and every bit of silence in the film, bolstering the film’s story and really getting the audience invested in these characters. The use of ASL as the primary mode of communication elevates the film even more in its ability to showcase to a predominantly hearing audience the ease of communication that comes with knowing sign language while still remaining relevant to the plot of the film. All in all, it’s a cool concept that has been executed so excellently that it makes you want to go back to the film again and again (after a few days of non-cardiovascular-intensive activities of course).
The performances at the heart of A Quiet Place are the final piece that cements its status as an all-time film. Noah Jupe portrays the terror and trauma that a young boy living through an alien apocalypse so well in every expression and movement that he makes. He plays his character (Marcus) with just enough heart to keep the audience rooting for him, even if his is the least interesting of the character arcs in the film. Millicent Simmonds (herself a deaf actress) plays the family’s daughter Regan as the quintessential angsty teen in an apocalyptic world but with actual reasons to be mad at the world and some complex desires to go along with it all. Her portrayal of a daughter wracked with guilt and seeking the approval of parents that she believes no longer love her provides the emotional center of the film that really drives home the third act’s impactful climax. Krasinski looks the part of “survival dad” and brings a lot of heart to the role, leaning into what has made him such a popular actor – conveying thoughts and emotion with as few words as possible, simply with glances and expressions. It’s a moving performance that glues the rest of the film together. Blunt is the film’s true revelation, which should come as no surprise. Her love of genre films has left her on the outside looking in for some fairly deserving roles throughout her career, and even though she won the SAG for this performance, she was snubbed even of a nomination by the Academy. The scene of her giving birth should have been enough for a Supporting Actress nomination on its own, but her ability to portray determination, fear, pain, regret, and love throughout the film – again, with very few actual spoken words – makes this the stand-out performance of her storied career.
Combining a few strong performances with an original sci-fi/horror concept, Krasinski and his fellow filmmakers turned A Quiet Place into an all-time great film, not just in its genres, but in the history of film. Its tension and refusal to let up on the gas might be more than some audiences want to take in a single sitting, but those willing to deal with some brief high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate for an hour and a half will be rewarded with one of the most original horror films of the last decade. It is currently available to stream via Paramount+ for those with subscriptions or to rent on most other streaming platforms if you need another addition to your spooky season watchlist.
