A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is the story of a tight-knit family fighting for survival on an Earth that has been occupied by murderous aliens.

A Quiet Place is the third film directed by John Krasinski, as well as the third he’s written. Despite his first two films receiving a lukewarm critical welcome, critics have lavished praise on A Quiet Place, considering it one of the best horror films in years. So, does it live up to the hype?

It does. The film is ultimately a tour-de-force in the thriller genre, arriving on the scene and challenging any movie to create even half the tension it possesses.

The film’s performances are all excellent. Most stunning, however, are the performances of Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds, who play the children in the family beautifully. They are able to capture a range of emotions rarely seen in even adult actors, and both seem to have bright futures ahead.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have slightly more nuanced roles, but play them effectively all the same. The brilliance of their performances lies in subtlety.

The film’s excellence is due to its direction. Krasinski was able to take the mere paragraph of words that exist in the script and fashion a unique and powerful film out of them. Furthermore, the absence of sound in general lends itself to and even creates much of the uncertainty and anxiety of the film.

A Quiet Place is not content to limit itself to mere tension, however, and maintains a strong and sometimes powerful emotional undercurrent for the entirety of the story. This addition helps to propel the film into future “classic” territory.

The plot, while not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, has enough unique twists to make the film feel unlike any other in the sci-fi/horror genre. Additionally, the plot serves only as a catalyst for the development of the characters, a decision Krasinski likely wisely made to avoid any further genre stereotypes in the film’s story.

Above all, A Quiet Place is a deeply intelligent film. It doesn’t rely on jump-scares and it avoids cheesy sentimentality, crafting a beautiful and haunting story in the process. Krasinski never lingers too long on one sequence, constantly moving both the characters and the story to increase the tension exponentially until it is finally masterfully resolved in a nail-biting and explosive finale.

Krasinski has clearly mastered his craft, and we can only expect to see more stellar work from him. If A Quiet Place is any indication, he may be one of the most skilled directors working today. 4.3/5 stars.