Major spoilers ahead for A Quiet Place: Day One. You’ve been warned.
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One thing we probably don’t think about too much is how noisy the world is. We’re just used to it. But then A Quiet Place (2018) came along, taking that idea and starting one of the most successful sci-fi franchises in recent memory. The story of one family’s survival in a world where any sound means death was scary, creative and heartfelt. Now, with A Quiet Place: Day One, we get a new chapter that goes back to the beginning. And in its very first shot, a title card tells us just how loud New York City is. It’s 90 decibels, the equivalent of a constant scream. That’s pretty disturbing in itself.
Instead of focusing on the Abbott family, this story follows a young woman named Samira, aka “Sam” (Lupita Nyong’o). Suffering from terminal cancer, Sam resides at a hospice facility outside New York City. Understandably, she’s not exactly a bubbly personality. She’s surly and has a definite attitude while sitting in the group therapy circle. But after gentle hounding by the nurse, Reuben (Alex Wolff), she reads a poem she started about how everything in her life is sh*t – well, everything except for her cat, Frodo (Aw, Frodo and Sam. Get it?).
Reuben’s not easily offended, though, and he convinces gets Sam to come with him and some of the other residents to a show in the city. Sam’s only condition is that they get pizza from her favorite place in Harlem. They drive across the bridge into the city, and Sam’s not happy when she finds out the show is a puppet show.
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She reluctantly sits and watches, and finds herself intrigued by the puppeteer’s skillful work as he makes his marionette do cool stuff, like blowing up a balloon. But while all this is happening, things are starting to happen outside. Reuben gets a call from the hospice telling him that there’s something like a terrorist attack happening, and they want everyone back as soon as possible.
As Reuben tries to herd everyone back on the bus, he has to deal with Sam, who’s upset about not getting her pizza. She gets back on the bus and sees everyone else in the back looking out. They all see the military closing in on their location – and up in the sky, they all see what looks like meteorites raining down. Only moments later, the attack begins, and suddenly, the aliens are everywhere. In the erupting chaos, Sam gets knocked out.
When she wakes up, she’s back in the semi-destroyed theater with other survivors, including Henri (Djimon Hounsou, who also appears in the other Quiet Place flicks) and Reuben. They hear a broadcast telling them to shelter in place and await instructions. Sam then has to chase after Frodo, who accidentally dings a bell and draws in one of the aliens – and everyone seems to understand (way too) quickly that sound attracts them.
After the alien’s gone, everyone goes up to the roof and watches the military destroying all the bridges. And when one of the other survivors starts panicking and shouting, Henri slams him against the wall and ends up suffocating the poor guy just to keep him quiet. After that, the theater’s backup generator kicks on, making a ton of noise. Reuben runs to shut it off, and everyone sighs with relief. But then Reuben’s shirt catches on something and rips – and sadly for Reuben, brings the aliens down on him. Sam’s helpless and horrified as she watches him die.
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The next morning, a determined Sam takes Frodo and starts her trek to Harlem. She goes to a bodega and gets some supplies first, but she has to stop walking often, as her transdermal patch (her pain meds) has come off. She stops at a park for a break to feed Frodo and spots a couple of kids hiding under the waterfall of a fountain. This is a clever reminder from the other flicks about how the sound of running water makes for excellent camouflage.
Sam gives the kids some of her food, and they see military helicopters overhead. They announce via loudspeakers that there are boats at the South Street Seaport taking survivors to safety. Sam and the kids head for the nearest main street, where they see a huge crowd slowly making their way to the port.
The kids go with the flow, but Sam heads the other way. She notices though, that even though no one’s talking, they’re still making noise. Squeaky wheels, cracking glass, crunching plastic. A slew of aliens comes down on them, attacking from every direction. Sam nearly gets trampled before crawling under a car but can only stay for a moment when the car gets crushed.
Meanwhile, Frodo has run off, and he comes across a terrified survivor named Eric (Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things). Not knowing what else to do and wanting to find other people, Eric follows Frodo back to where Sam is. A thunderstorm begins, allowing them to speak. Sam tells Eric to head to the port, but he insists on following her despite several rejections.
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Finally, she gives in and allows him to tag along to her old apartment, kicking down the door when the thunder booms. Sam’s exhausted and has to rest. Eric finds her notebook with her poetry, realizing that’s what she did before falling ill. Sam also tells him about her father, a jazz pianist who used to take her to his gigs in Harlem. And in an especially affecting scene, the two of them let out cathartic screams under the cover of the thunder.
The next morning, Sam and Frodo take off, letting Eric sleep. But he catches up with her at a bookstore, where she’s taking a moment to remember the good things about the world, like how nice books smell. But then she accidentally bumps into a cart, and it’s back to running again. The aliens chase them through an office building and force them down into the subway, where Sam and Eric have to wade and then swim their way through the flooded tunnels.
When they venture back topside, they end up taking refuge in a church with other survivors. Sam’s so weak at this point that she can’t even move. Eric bravely volunteers to find her some new patches, and Frodo goes along with him. Together, they sneak their way to a pharmacy and get back to the church (surprisingly and disappointingly) without incident.
The next day, Sam, Frodo and Eric finally get to Harlem. But sadly, Patsy’s Pizzeria has been destroyed – and so is Sam. She crumples into a heap, crying, and Eric sits down with her, letting her collapse in his arms. But eventually, they make their way to the jazz club where they quietly commiserate with some liquor.
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Eric leaves for a bit and then returns – with pizza. It’s a couple of days old and not exactly what she wanted, but Eric writes “Patsy’s” on the box. Sam can’t help but smile at that and enjoy what’s probably the last pizza she’ll ever have. The two lose themselves in some fun for a while, pretending to put on a show. Eric plays the magician and does a hokey card trick, which Sam gives into and goes along with. They laugh and bow in front of the non-existent crowd.
When they finally leave the club and arrive at the port area, they see a boat that’s just left. Sam hands Frodo to Eric and gives him her favorite sweater, telling him to run for it. Then she grabs a crowbar and starts bashing the windows of all the cars. The aliens swarm toward the noise, giving Eric time to run – but then he accidentally kicks a can, and the aliens head his way. Clutching Frodo, Eric books it and has just enough time to jump into the water.
Henri happens to be on the boat and helps pull Eric on board, and Sam smiles with relief when she sees he and Frodo made it safely away. Eric digs in the sweater pocket and pulls out a note in which Sam tells him to take care of Frodo for her – not to rub his belly and not to feed him too much. And she thanks him for getting her home.
Sam walks back to Harlem with her earbuds in. When she gets there, she pulls the plug out and the beautiful sound of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” blasts everywhere. An exhausted but contented and resigned Sam smiles as the aliens catch up to her.
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What’s nice about the Quiet Place flicks is that they focus on people – on their personalities, relationships and bravery or the lack of it. The sci-fi aspect takes a back seat to the human drama, which is fine – for a while. The problem comes in when using that same structure to sustain multiple flicks. And as we all know, when a film makes good box office, there will be as many sequels/prequels/spinoffs as Hollywood can possibly milk out of the property.
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As it is, A Quiet Place: Day One is a decent watch. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn turn in terrific performances and are totally magnetic. You can’t help but be drawn in by their unlikely bond. And the alien attacks are hard-hitting and startling – at least at first. Unfortunately though, because the Quiet Place flicks are defined by the device of sound equals death, the movie tends to settle into this never-ending loop of make noise, run, hide, repeat. It gets a little stale after a while. However, a short runtime keeps A Quiet Place: Day One from overstaying its welcome.
The other main problem with the Quiet Place flicks is that their logic pretty quickly falls apart under scrutiny. Like, why would a race of aliens that can’t swim come to a planet whose surface is mostly covered with water (just like the aliens in M.Night Shyamalan’s Signs)? And why does this race of aliens come to Earth at all? What do we have that they could possibly need?
Because even though this alien race is clearly technologically superior if they’ve figured out interstellar travel – they don’t seem to be doing anything on Earth except loitering. And if their purpose is just to eat people, well, it won’t take very long for them to chew their way through the entire population. Then what? Do they just bounce their way from planet to planet for a quick meal? Doesn’t seem worth it.
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Then, there are smaller issues like, as adorable as Frodo is, it’s really hard to buy that the cat never once meows (having two cats myself). And given that this is the very beginning of the invasion, the idea that people immediately know that the aliens are blind and can only hunt via sound is a bit hard to buy as well.
So unfortunately for A Quiet Place: Day One, even though it shows us the beginning of the invasion, it doesn’t provide any further insight. Even though it’s sweet, sad and touching, at the end of the day, it’s still just an anecdote. If they’re going to continue this franchise, they really need to start addressing these larger issues and move the story forward. Decent writing can keep the engaging human drama and elaborate on the aliens’ purpose. It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
So if you’re looking for a sci-fi thriller that’s quick and diverting, A Quiet Place: Day One fits the bill nicely. But as it stands now, if you’ve seen one of the Quiet Place flicks, you’ve kinda seen them all.
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Written by: John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski
Release date: June 28, 2024
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 1hr, 40min
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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