A Quiet Place: Day One takes us back in time to experience the first day of the invasion, with the events unfolding in New York City, creating even more unease and terror.
When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.
The film maintains its atmospheric storytelling with the use of camera and sound to establish the mood and horror. Day One effectively showcases the new setting in New York City, where the colossal skyscrapers have become playgrounds for the creatures, transforming once-safe spaces into deadly obstacle courses. The introduction of nightmare-inducing tunnels and isolated streets further adds to the narrative, ripping away the familiarity of the city in one fell swoop. Director Sarnoski skillfully showcases the monsters’ abilities and movements, akin to a nature documentary, adding depth to their cleverness and behavior when not actively hunting. The film also explores new hunting habits not previously focused on in other movies, all set within the cityscape. Despite the overall sense of hopelessness, this prequel manages to find moments of light in a way that resonated with me on multiple levels. Day One’s narrative incorporates moments that bring spirituality to the forefront and fleshes out the characters beyond other story elements. The pacing remains engaging, despite the narrative taking a somewhat moodier route.
Finally, the movie features only two humans and a cat, but the actors did a fantastic job with the limited dialogue. Alex Wolff’s performance is consistent with his previous work, and by now, you either love or dislike his character’s direction in a horror movie. Joseph Quinn also does a good job, although at times his delivery feels a bit overdone and exaggerated. Nonetheless, he provides a solid anchor for the movie and helps balance its tone. Lupita Nyong’o, on the other hand, delivers a stunning performance, conveying a lot through her movements and body language rather than words. She truly makes the most of her limited dialogue, highlighting the freedom of speech that we often take for granted. However, my favorite “actor” is the cat, which adds suspense, humor, and sentimentality to the movie—especially for animal lovers like myself. The way they used “Frodo,” the cat, is truly fantastic, as the cat’s attitude brings a fresh dynamic to the movie that many will enjoy.
Overall, I enjoyed the prologue of A Quiet Place. It felt familiar in its presentation, but also expanded the world and offered new stories. The cinematic and sound quality brought the new setting to life, and the characters’ struggle against the blind beasts was captivating. The movie had great character development and moments of poetry that offset the usual tone. However, the story was somewhat predictable, and the quest seemed pointless and counterproductive at times. I think adding more human characters or providing better background information could have expanded the lore and made this prequel more compelling.
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