Alright, so A Quiet Place: Day One is here, the prequel we didn’t know we needed but—apparently—we did. Because what’s better than another 100 minutes of holding your bladder so tight you could crack a walnut with it while being assaulted by jump scares, right? After two movies where the solution to any alien problem was essentially “STFU or get eviscerated,” it was only a matter of time before we hit rewind and took a look at day one of this mess. You know, the good old days when we all thought 2020 was the worst year imaginable. How naive we were.

So, Michael Sarnoski, the man with the incredible debut feature Pig—yes, the Nic Cage movie where Cage doesn’t punch anyone for a solid two hours—takes over the directorial reins from John “Jim Halpert” Krasinski, and honestly? Despite my dismay that Sarnoski was getting pushed into a franchise, it works. Sarnoski, who apparently wakes up every day and chooses atmosphere, does a killer job here. Krasinski is still lurking in the background as a producer and story guy, but he’s handed the director’s chair to someone else like a dude letting his buddy take a joyride in his beloved muscle car, and the car doesn’t get wrecked.

The casting of Lupita Nyong’o (Us, Little Monsters) as Samira is a chef’s kiss moment. I mean, if you’re going to survive an alien apocalypse where any burp, fart, or stray cough can turn you into alien sushi, you’d want Nyong’o on your team. Samira’s character is terminally ill, which already adds a nice morbid cherry on top. What’s better than fighting off sound-hunting monsters? Fighting off monsters while dying from cancer! Take that, universe.

Nyong’o plays it beautifully, alternating between bitterness, defiance, and emotional vulnerability. She’s got a damn cat named Frodo, because, of course, she does. If you’ve got cancer and aliens are out to kill you, a cat is the emotional support animal you need. I half expected the cat to become a crucial element to defeating the monsters, like some Homeward Bound meets Alien scenario, but no dice thank god. However, Frodo still pulls his weight, never meowing at the wrong time, because this feline understands plot convenience.

Then, there’s Joseph Quinn (Overlord, Stranger Things), who slides into the role of Eric, a guy you can tell is just one panic attack away from losing his mind. The guy’s got that Stranger Things clout now, and he brings the same “wide-eyed, I’m-about-to-shit-my-pants” energy he had as Eddie Munson.

Oh, and Djimon Hounsou is back! You remember him from Part II, where he met a quick, unfortunate death. In Day One, he’s back for like five minutes, and then… well, no spoilers. Just know that his character brings a bit of gravitas before inevitably getting eaten by something.

The plot is simple: Samira wants pizza. No, seriously. Like most New Yorkers, her bucket list is topped by pizza, and not just any pizza—THE pizza. Her dying wish, her last hurrah before she goes to the big quiet place in the sky, is a greasy, cheesy slice of bliss from a specific NYC pizza joint. That’s it. And you know what? I get it. When aliens are tearing people limb from limb, sometimes a hot slice is all that stands between you and despair. I’ve had those days.

As Samira and Eric scramble through the chaos, trying to avoid making any noise in the loudest city in America, the aliens are descending like PETA at a fur coat convention. The creatures? They still look like the unholy offspring of a Demogorgon and that weird beetle you see scuttling across your bathroom floor at 3 AM. They’re blind but can hear a rat fart from three blocks away, so, you know, good luck surviving in Manhattan, a city that’s never quiet even at 3 AM.

Sure, on the surface this is about surviving an alien apocalypse, but peel back the layers, and you’ve got some deep existential shit. Samira’s whole journey isn’t just about dodging alien claws, it’s about confronting her own mortality. She’s already dying, so what’s a little alien terror? She’s chasing her final moments of happiness, hoping to snatch a slice of life before death (and aliens) finally catches up with her. It’s weirdly uplifting, like The Road, but with slightly less cannibalism.

Eric, meanwhile, represents a different kind of survival instinct—panic mixed with empathy. The dude just wants to get out alive, but he can’t help but stick around to help Samira. Their odd-couple dynamic gives the movie heart, which is a nice contrast to all the alien killing.

We get it, sound is a bad idea. But seriously, this movie’s sound design is like a full-blown assault on your eardrums. One minute, there’s this dead silence that makes you want to scream just to break the tension, and the next, some poor schmuck’s cellphone rings, and BOOM, he’s alien chow. It’s exhausting, but in a good way, like how eating an entire pizza by yourself is exhausting. By the end, you’ll feel bloated, satisfied, and maybe a little bit dead inside.

Here’s the thing though: we still don’t know jack about these aliens. We see their nests, but we’re never told why they have the temper of an aging rock star. Maybe it’s because sound is such a big deal, and every loud thing just makes them irrationally pissed off? Who knows? I’m still waiting for the lore dump. Give me some backstory! How about a quiet place documentary narrated by David Attenborough?

Despite the lack of answers, Sarnoski nails the emotional beats. This is more of a “human spirit” movie than an “oh crap, they’re gonna get us” movie. Nyong’o and Quinn are fantastic, and you actually care whether they make it or not. But sometimes the plot feels like it’s just spinning its wheels, making you wonder if they really needed a prequel at all. There’s a sense of “been there, done that,” with only the urban setting as a fresh twist. And yeah, there are plot holes. Why the hell can’t the aliens hear the millions of rats scurrying around NYC?

In the end, A Quiet Place: Day One isn’t going to change your life, but it’s a damn good time. It’s tense, it’s emotional, and yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous—seriously, a whole film about chasing pizza? Still, if you’re a fan of the franchise, it’s worth the price of admission. Just make sure you sneak in some snacks, because if the silence doesn’t get you, the hunger will.

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Writer: Michael Sarnoski
Released June 28, 2024