2018’s A Quiet Place was a masterclass in silent terror.  I vividly recall the tension in our screening of that film written, directed, and starring John Krasinski and his wife Emily Blunt being so high that, near the end, when we were all holding our breath, someone dared to crunch their popcorn at the wrong moment and everyone in their vicinity loudly hissed “shhhhhhhhhh” in sharp unison.  Its fresh auditory spin on the tired post-apocalyptic genre was nail-biting fun and produced a sizable hit, leading to a sequel that fell victim to the COVID pandemic.  Set for release in 2020, it became the first movie I saw in a theater in 2021. It expanded the universe with a similar finesse to its predecessor, giving audiences a brief glimpse of how it all began.

Now, without Krasinski behind the camera (busy making IF, he handed the reins over to Pig director Michael Sarnoski), the franchise expands on that first contact experience with A Quiet Place: Day One.  Anchored by stellar performances and the same meticulous craftsmanship for emotional stakes, it invites viewers to experience whispered dread through a refreshed, character-driven lens.  While big, loud, and containing the requisite thrills, this franchise still has plenty to say, but audiences only wanting the scares and nothing deeper than that may leave with their screams only half realized.

Swapping out small-town Millbrook, New York for the bustling backdrop of New York City, A Quiet Place: Day One introduces us to (Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o), a writer whose biggest concern of the day is getting pizza during a group outing to the city.  Accompanied by her cat Frodo, the trip gets cut short when hostile, sound-hunting aliens arrive via meteor-like showers.  As the city crumbles under the vicious assault of the hungry creatures, an unsuspecting public has to acclimate quickly to their enemy and figure out what attracts them.  Avoiding any sound is challenging in a city that never sleeps, though.

After the military cuts off the escape routes for the water-averse creatures out of Manhattan Island, many New Yorkers find themselves trapped with monsters that never cease in their hunt.  Eventually, Sam is joined by Eric (Joseph Quinn, Overlord), an English law student who hasn’t fully recovered from the initial shock of the attack and needs the more level-headed Sam to help them both find a way to the seaport where boats are waiting to ferry them to the mainland.  Their scramble for survival journey is roadblocked by personal limitations and creature mayhem, leading to a chaotic trek through a metropolis infested with horror.     

Prequels often feel like unnecessary backtracking, uninspired cash grabs that can’t justify their existence.  After all, the visceral opening of Part II gave us a terrifying taste of the panicked pandemonium of Day One in the small town featured in the first two films.  However, it’s precisely this familiar advanced knowledge that amps up the film’s suspense.  The viewer is very aware of the doom hovering in the skies, creating an elevated sense of tension as we watch characters navigate their quickly disintegrating reality.  With Sarnoski’s script focusing on the human element and going deep into the personal stories of Sam and Eric, there’s an emotional resonance present that gets us back to what made the first film so unique.  In that way, it becomes less about running from monsters and more about running toward how our humanity can be the ultimate survival tool.

Proving once again why she’s one of Hollywood’s most captivating performers, Nyong’o (Us) balances subtle internal emotion with the external horrors around her.  This character is on a personal journey I won’t spoil (because the trailers haven’t), and it lends an unexpected sentimentality to the final act I wasn’t prepared for.  I liked her pairing with Quinn, who brings a charming awkwardness to Eric and takes time to build a growth story arc for his character.  Outside of a VERY mellow cat playing Sam’s cat Frodo (I’ve never seen a feline be so OK with multiple dips into water and showdowns with snarling beasties), Alex Wolff (Oppenheimer) and Djimon Hounsou’s (Black Adam) Henri (a character that later, er, earlier appears in Part II) provide commendable support.

The creature design remains top-notch, and the aliens look more menacing than ever, thanks to some nifty VFK work.  Yes, it does get a bit old hat to have the same kind of scare set-up with a tiny sound setting off a sustained suspense sequence, but it wouldn’t work if the monsters weren’t so horrific looking.  As good as these slimy aliens are, some digital backgrounds and set pieces occasionally break the illusions (like boats that bobble unconvincingly on CGI waves).  These minor quibbles can be forgotten whenever the score by Alexis Grapsas kicks in.  Underscoring the stress and sentiment of each scene beautifully, Grapsas and Sarnoski wisely don’t use the music as scare triggers but to enhance the attempted atmosphere.  I also appreciated that production designer Simon Bowles (Hyde Park on Hudson) didn’t go for the obvious New York City destruction design, refusing to resort to clichéd shots of toppled landmarks.

While A Quiet Place: Day One doesn’t reinvent the wheel regarding scares, it does manage to carve out its own space.  Offering audiences a gripping, character-centric narrative that resonates beyond its high-concept premise, it has the old-school visceral thrills and silent suspense that defined the original but isn’t dominated by its spectacle.  Building to an startling and poignant climax, it compensates for being hauntingly familiar with a focused heart.  If you can, experience it in a theater with a top-notch sound system, settle in, and prepare to be moved (and rumbled!).  Just remember to hold your popcorn munching until the right moment.