In the very near future, society has crumbled. Vile monsters roam the Earth, hoping to catch their next victim. We don't know what they are, we don't know how to stop them, and we don't know how many humans are left. How do the monsters find you? Well, it's simple- if you make a sound, you die. If you scream, you're committing suicide. Silence is golden in this dystopian wasteland. Our protagonists don't have names- at least not to our knowledge. We follow a man (John Krasinski) and his wife (Emily Blunt), a couple determined to protect their three children (Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward) at any cost. But can they survive on their own? Or will these nightmarish creatures get to them first?
Welcome to the world of A Quiet Place.
Surprisingly enough, this is not the directorial debut of John Krasinski, who rose to fame as one of the primary stars of NBC's The Office. Krasinski has crafted a few minor projects in the last few years, all while showcasing his dramatic range in films like Michael Bay's 13 Hours and Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit. But considering the shocking magnitude of A Quiet Place's impending success, it'll certainly go down as the movie that put Krasinski on the map for good. Coming in at a solid 90 minutes, this is a lean, tight, and absolutely punishing horror thriller, rarely missing a beat as its story unfolds. It's almost minimalist in a way, though its love of big jump scares keeps it firmly out of experimental territory.
Instead, A Quiet Place emerges as a film that can best be described as direct. It has simple objectives, and its execution of those objectives is incredibly successful. With this genuinely nerve-shredding horror outing, Krasinski has stripped down the tropes of the genre to a rather impressive degree, delivering a film that scares and surprises without so much as an ounce of fat dragging it down. From beautifully crafted characters to the logical and functional execution of the scares, nothing in A Quiet Place feels gimmicky. It's an ambiguous nightmare, but unlike something like Darren Aronofsky's mother!, the simplicity of the concept and the subtle emotional beats keep the film from ever delving into surrealism or abstract complications. Krasinski never betrays the story he's telling, nor does he sacrifice genuine tension for cheap shocks. He doesn't care about the big questions that one might think to ask in this kind of movie- there's no mystery box here.
Rather than attempting to solve a complex puzzle, he crafts a movie about complicated people trying to survive an impossible scenario, and he does it in the most efficiently straight-forward way possible. Sure, there are plenty of subtleties and nuances in Krasinski's careful direction, but the frightening and gripping bluntness of the film is by far its greatest asset. It's a brisk, perfectly calibrated terror machine. But even though A Quiet Place is blunt and direct, what Krasinski has accomplished here is by no means easy. Early rumors about the lack of dialogue in the film were accurate- much of the acting is totally physical, based in faces and gestures and the terrifying discomfort of total silence. The art of silent movie acting is not something we're used to seeing these days, and it was initially quite jarring to see such high-profile actors emoting with their faces in such an intense manner. Krasinski's eyes practically pop out of his skull and Blunt's visage is nearly stuck in a gasp of horror, almost giving the film an over-dramatic tenor.
But what initially feels over-the-top and borderline silly eventually becomes part of the film's rhythm and flow, clicking into place as the hidden depth of each character is slowly revealed. In many ways, Krasinski is playing off the stereotype of the gruff survivalist father, someone who lives a life of rigidity and won't let anyone take even the slightest risk. But while his character is precise and extremely cautious, Krasinski's origins in the comedy world root his performance in a kind of gentle humanity that is deeply moving and effective. You can feel the internal push-and-pull as his children are forced to live in this hellish world- he wants them to be able to be kids, but safety is the priority. Krasinski has said that the film is about his own experience as a father, and that personal feeling makes him the empathetic core of the film.
Emily Blunt is the other half of A Quiet Place's devastating emotional center, and it's clear (he even admitted it) that Krasinski put her through the ringer for this one. You can see Blunt's pregnant mother (I agree with everyone else's sentiment there- why have a baby in a dystopia?) trying her best to help her children lead a normal life, while also trying to keep herself together in a desperate time. And of course, I have to mention the terrific turns from the two child actors. Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds already proved their chops in a couple of late 2017 movies (Jupe in Suburbicon and Wonder, Simmonds in Wonderstruck), but they're wonderful here as well. There's real complexity in these characters, and Krasinski asked a lot of them. It's a testament to their skill that it all works out.
Technically, A Quiet Place is an impressive, often staggering piece of work. Charlotte Bruus Christensen's cinematography gives the film a grainy, Earthy quality, blending a red hue of panic with that gorgeously grimy brown color palette. Marco Beltrami's score also emerges as essential to the film's overall success, underscoring the most gentle sequences and driving the action forward with thundering gusto. Krasinski's skilled direction brings it all together, cutting between characters with effortless mastery and achieving the maximum tension at every possible moment. He doesn't adhere to the James Wan school of deliberately torturous setpieces, but he has no problem with executing a good, clean jump scare. A Quiet Place is nice and compact, opting to barrel forward to the next terrifying moment instead of lingering on a particular scare. It's a bold strategy, resulting in a breathless experience.
Like other great horror movies that came before it, many will be quick to label A Quiet Place as a new horror classic in the coming weeks. Of course, I can't begrudge anyone who does that- I'm never one to hesitate when it comes to calling a movie a masterpiece or an instant classic. But for me, Krasinski's creature feature just doesn't have that extra quality that puts it over the top- it's undeniably a work of meticulous skill, but it never totally bowled me over. However, that's not to say that Krasinski didn't make a great movie with A Quiet Place, because he most certainly did. This is an epic roller-coaster of a horror flick, a visceral and gripping experience that delivers grueling thrills for 90 relentless minutes. Under the careful direction of Krasinski, such a difficult film looks effortless, which is perhaps the film's most remarkable feat. Intense, precise, and surprisingly poignant- strap in and get ready for a impeccably crafted, brutally entertaining ride.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.4/10)
Images: IMDb/Paramount
Welcome to the world of A Quiet Place.
Surprisingly enough, this is not the directorial debut of John Krasinski, who rose to fame as one of the primary stars of NBC's The Office. Krasinski has crafted a few minor projects in the last few years, all while showcasing his dramatic range in films like Michael Bay's 13 Hours and Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit. But considering the shocking magnitude of A Quiet Place's impending success, it'll certainly go down as the movie that put Krasinski on the map for good. Coming in at a solid 90 minutes, this is a lean, tight, and absolutely punishing horror thriller, rarely missing a beat as its story unfolds. It's almost minimalist in a way, though its love of big jump scares keeps it firmly out of experimental territory.
Instead, A Quiet Place emerges as a film that can best be described as direct. It has simple objectives, and its execution of those objectives is incredibly successful. With this genuinely nerve-shredding horror outing, Krasinski has stripped down the tropes of the genre to a rather impressive degree, delivering a film that scares and surprises without so much as an ounce of fat dragging it down. From beautifully crafted characters to the logical and functional execution of the scares, nothing in A Quiet Place feels gimmicky. It's an ambiguous nightmare, but unlike something like Darren Aronofsky's mother!, the simplicity of the concept and the subtle emotional beats keep the film from ever delving into surrealism or abstract complications. Krasinski never betrays the story he's telling, nor does he sacrifice genuine tension for cheap shocks. He doesn't care about the big questions that one might think to ask in this kind of movie- there's no mystery box here.
Rather than attempting to solve a complex puzzle, he crafts a movie about complicated people trying to survive an impossible scenario, and he does it in the most efficiently straight-forward way possible. Sure, there are plenty of subtleties and nuances in Krasinski's careful direction, but the frightening and gripping bluntness of the film is by far its greatest asset. It's a brisk, perfectly calibrated terror machine. But even though A Quiet Place is blunt and direct, what Krasinski has accomplished here is by no means easy. Early rumors about the lack of dialogue in the film were accurate- much of the acting is totally physical, based in faces and gestures and the terrifying discomfort of total silence. The art of silent movie acting is not something we're used to seeing these days, and it was initially quite jarring to see such high-profile actors emoting with their faces in such an intense manner. Krasinski's eyes practically pop out of his skull and Blunt's visage is nearly stuck in a gasp of horror, almost giving the film an over-dramatic tenor.
But what initially feels over-the-top and borderline silly eventually becomes part of the film's rhythm and flow, clicking into place as the hidden depth of each character is slowly revealed. In many ways, Krasinski is playing off the stereotype of the gruff survivalist father, someone who lives a life of rigidity and won't let anyone take even the slightest risk. But while his character is precise and extremely cautious, Krasinski's origins in the comedy world root his performance in a kind of gentle humanity that is deeply moving and effective. You can feel the internal push-and-pull as his children are forced to live in this hellish world- he wants them to be able to be kids, but safety is the priority. Krasinski has said that the film is about his own experience as a father, and that personal feeling makes him the empathetic core of the film.
Emily Blunt is the other half of A Quiet Place's devastating emotional center, and it's clear (he even admitted it) that Krasinski put her through the ringer for this one. You can see Blunt's pregnant mother (I agree with everyone else's sentiment there- why have a baby in a dystopia?) trying her best to help her children lead a normal life, while also trying to keep herself together in a desperate time. And of course, I have to mention the terrific turns from the two child actors. Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds already proved their chops in a couple of late 2017 movies (Jupe in Suburbicon and Wonder, Simmonds in Wonderstruck), but they're wonderful here as well. There's real complexity in these characters, and Krasinski asked a lot of them. It's a testament to their skill that it all works out.
Technically, A Quiet Place is an impressive, often staggering piece of work. Charlotte Bruus Christensen's cinematography gives the film a grainy, Earthy quality, blending a red hue of panic with that gorgeously grimy brown color palette. Marco Beltrami's score also emerges as essential to the film's overall success, underscoring the most gentle sequences and driving the action forward with thundering gusto. Krasinski's skilled direction brings it all together, cutting between characters with effortless mastery and achieving the maximum tension at every possible moment. He doesn't adhere to the James Wan school of deliberately torturous setpieces, but he has no problem with executing a good, clean jump scare. A Quiet Place is nice and compact, opting to barrel forward to the next terrifying moment instead of lingering on a particular scare. It's a bold strategy, resulting in a breathless experience.
Like other great horror movies that came before it, many will be quick to label A Quiet Place as a new horror classic in the coming weeks. Of course, I can't begrudge anyone who does that- I'm never one to hesitate when it comes to calling a movie a masterpiece or an instant classic. But for me, Krasinski's creature feature just doesn't have that extra quality that puts it over the top- it's undeniably a work of meticulous skill, but it never totally bowled me over. However, that's not to say that Krasinski didn't make a great movie with A Quiet Place, because he most certainly did. This is an epic roller-coaster of a horror flick, a visceral and gripping experience that delivers grueling thrills for 90 relentless minutes. Under the careful direction of Krasinski, such a difficult film looks effortless, which is perhaps the film's most remarkable feat. Intense, precise, and surprisingly poignant- strap in and get ready for a impeccably crafted, brutally entertaining ride.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.4/10)
Images: IMDb/Paramount
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