A Quiet Place: Day One Review – Lupita & Cat Outrun Aliens
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“A Quiet Place: Day One” might be the prequel to John Krasinski’s earlier horror films about the Abbott family’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic world overtaken by sound-sensitive aliens; however, it has nothing to do with the Abbott family and only takes place in the same cinematic universe. Directed by Michael Sarnoski, who has co-written the story with Krasinski and Bryan Woods, the 2024 prequel follows cancer patient Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) and her service cat Frodo (Schnitzel), who are trapped in New York City on a day when grotesque alien creatures invade the Earth and kill humans ruthlessly. The only way to keep safe from the creatures is to keep quiet and not make any sounds.
In terms of plot, the only new ingredient that stands out in “A Quiet Place: Day One” is the cat, who is consistently present through the runtime. So, well… it’s a big ‘yay’ for cat fans. On the flip side, watching the protagonist look out for a cat while humans are dying by the dozens will probably be an unnecessary irritant for those who aren’t fond of pets. I am ‘team cat,’ so Frodo was one of the best parts of this prequel, in-fact, Frodo is the quasi-protagonist of this horror flick. Kinda…!
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“A Quiet Place: Day One” begins by introducing Samira as a cynical, cancer-ridden patient at a hospice who reluctantly agrees to go for an outing when her nurse promises she’ll get to have pizza in the city. When the aliens attack New York City, Samira knows her numbered days are on a tighter timer, so unlike others rushing to ‘safety points,’ Samira is intent on what could potentially be the last pizza of her life. Maybe that should’ve been the tagline of the film: when aliens attack NYC, a cancer patient and her cat race against time to get her favorite pizza. Not the most exciting horror-drama plot, but fun enough.
Joseph Quinn plays supporting character Eric, a timid British lawyer who runs into Samira somewhere in the middle of the runtime. As if rooting for a dying protagonist who isn’t keen on living isn’t hard enough in a post-apocalyptic horror story, the writers saddle her with a fearful foreigner who is constantly shitting his pants. But to be fair, Eric has a golden heart, and you cannot help but like him, even though he has a very hard time not attracting the vicious aliens. As viewers you have to remind yourself that this is “A Quiet Place: Day One”, and unlike us, the characters haven’t seen the first two films and are still learning about how the aliens function.
Samira risks feeling like a cliché – the cancer patient in a horror film designed to tug at the audience’s heartstrings. However, Lupita Nyong’o transforms her into a feisty fighter who may have given up on the battle against cancer, but refuses to let a horde of ghastly aliens dictate how she spends her final hours. The aliens aren’t as scary as they were in the older films, since there’s little surprise over how they look. The creators cleverly focus more on the ominous sounds the creatures make to spook the human characters and the runtime does have some nail-biting moments.
Towards the climax of A Quiet Place: Day One, the film uncannily takes a slow artistic turn for a few seconds, during which Samira and Eric take a little break to celebrate life. That sequence felt too contrived and out of place compared to the otherwise tense pace of the plot. Thankfully, the ending minutes are packed with alien action and ‘life-and-death’ suspense, and Frodo’s journey culminates on a mixed note – there is both light and darkness at the end of the tunnel.
Rating: 6 on 10. Watch the film on Prime Video.
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