What’s more terrifying other than a monster trying to hunt you down as food? Imagine a movie inspired by films such as “Jaws” or a post-apocalyptic video game like “The Last Of Us,” mixed them both together and you have yourself a dramatic horror thriller called, “A Quiet Place” directed by John Krasinski, A.K.A. Jim Halpert from “The Office,” “Jack Ryan” from Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s titular character & he’s possibly rumored to voice Peter Parker/Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.”
A Quiet Place became a sleeper hit from both critics & movie goers alike. So far, it continues to make a enough money at the box office.
The following article is a NON-SPOILER review. If you’ve never seen this movie, feel free to read it.
Positive & Negative Elements
Positive: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt (also John’s real life spouse) & the child actors who play their onscreen children all did an excellent job on their respective performances. John’s performance as the father, has got to be the best performance I’ve ever seen since Hugh Jackman in Logan. I know it sounds early, but John deserves a Best Actor nomination for The 91st Academy Awards. I’m gonna give him a bunch of Extra Points for taking a serious role.
Besides starring as the main protagonist, John also did a fantastic job on writing, producing and directing his movie.
Loud sounds are used to build suspense. Whenever someone accidentally makes a noise, The Monster will come after them, you know the intensity is about to get real.
Scary Moments were handled carefully they managed to keep me startled. As if I was part of The Family trying to stay silent as possible.
Jump Scares aren’t used heavily to make you pee your pants, thank goodness. I don’t like them going in your face.
Visual Effects were used to create The Monster. It reminded me of “The Clickers” from The Last Of Us. I bet John was playing the game so he can come up with a sinister threat that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Even though he is not a fan of horror films, John stated that he’s influenced by Jaws, “Alien,” “No Country For Old Men,” “In The Bedroom,” “Don’t Breathe” & “Get Out.”
As a gamer myself, the movie reminded me of post-apocalyptic video games such as the “Fallout” series & The Last Of Us. Maybe John is actually a gamer and was inspired by the games in order to craft a cohesive narrative. The Last Of Us also features a similar protagonist forced to protect a girl and escape from a monster attracted to echolocation like a bat who’s blind but can hear to find you where you’re at.
Cinematography didn’t feature extensive use of Shaky Cam not Dutch Angles.
Chemistry between the characters was the main highlight, as you don’t want them to get killed. They’re a family you can relate to if you’re caught in the middle of dangerous circumstances.
Similar to “Cloverfield,” we don’t see were The Monster came from, we only focus on characters who aren’t connected to a scientific failed experiment or a military unit sent to investigate an abandoned spaceship.
In order to avoid a fateful encounter with The Creature, The Family must rely on sign language, whisper quietly & body language if they want to stay alive.
Opening Sequence establishes the story with a shocking moment.
According to John, he confirmed where The Monster came from. I refuse to tell you his confirmation. However, I’ll give you a clue, all ya have to do is spot a bunch of newspapers.
The Main Theme for the film is Guilt. If you’ve already seen it, you’ll probably get it.
Near the end, something terribly happened. I will not tell you what it is, you’re gonna have to see for yourself.
Speaking of the end, you’re gonna be surprised about one pivotal scene before The End Credits commence.
Negative: Michael Bay also produced the film. I can’t believe I’m gonna say it, I’ll give him a pass, because I didn’t see a lot of explosions or tropes associated with him.
I couldn’t find anything wrong with this movie, I’m gonna give it an Extra Point for The Cast & Crew for making a film as flawless as possible!
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
A Quiet Place has got to be the best horror film since the 2017 version of “It: Chapter One.” Minimal Cast did a tremendous job on their performances. Sound managed to be used carefully to build up suspense. John Krasinski deserves special praise for his hard work on acting, directing, producing and writing. If I were you, I strongly recommend this movie. If you don’t have plans, go out and support John’s movie right now!
Dear Mr. Krasinki, if you’re reading this, I won’t you to poissbly auditioned for Logan/Wolverine, if Disney & Fox officially make an agreement to allow X-Men character to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (MCU for short) I hope it’s possible to make this miracle happen, because it’s a role of a lifetime.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 