After proving to be a successful concept with A Quiet Place, and a promising horror franchise with A Quiet Place Part II, John Krasinski hands over the reins to Michael Sarnoski to direct the spin-off A Quiet Place: Day One.

After proving to be a successful concept with A Quiet Place, and a promising horror franchise with A Quiet Place Part II, John Krasinski hands over the reins to Michael Sarnoski to direct the spin-off A Quiet Place: Day One.

The title itself sets the scene, with the monsters’ surprise arrival from outer space and the beginning of a new, silent life. The choice of New York as the setting for the story provides an ingenious commentary on the city’s constant noise. It’s in this hubbub that Sam finds himself on that fateful day. Played by Lupita Nyong’o, most notably in Jordan Peele’s Us, the actress brilliantly conveys the terror and dread of such violent events in her eyes. In the middle of Manhattan, she finds herself at the heart of the attack, in a chaos of smoke, dust and death. The imaginary sensation of 9/11 quickly comes to mind, so present is the chaos and confusion presented by the camera and the characters. The premise and title of the film seemed to invite a discovery of why they had arrived, what these creatures were after. However, once the first horror sequences have passed, it’s clear that we’re back in the same situations as the first two films: the creatures are there, not making a sound and surviving. In this regard, A Quiet Place: Day One seems to be a missed opportunity.

On his adventure to find one last moment of happiness in a world falling apart, Sam meets Eric, played by Joseph Quinn. Although the character development could have been further fleshed out, especially in Eric’s case ; The duo that forms over the course of the film manages, often without words, through glances and signs, to build an effective dramatic tandem right up to its final scene. Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong’o are always right on target in their performances, and thanks to their gestures and small attentions, at times manage to grab us by the emotions.

Although the horror formula of silence and noise proved effective in the first two films, it begins to show its limits and repetitiveness in A Quiet Place: Day One. The dynamic of silence/noise then attack seems to disrupt the rhythm of the story and the film, which sometimes seems to stop for a 10-minute horror sequence before picking up again. Even if these scenes are not filmed with innovative creativity, Michael Sarnoski plays with set and particle elements such as smoke and debris, allowing the creatures to be partially concealed while every sound counts.

While Michael Sarnoski offers a touching tale with his characters, the filmmaker misses an opportunity to develop John Krasinski’s universe beyond the first two films. Despite some interesting ideas in his staging, the use of New York and the first day of the creatures’ arrival don’t seem to go far enough to justify the film’s intriguing title.