Despite numerous setbacks, A Quiet Place Part II was a box office hit, grossing nearly $300 million worldwide. Before the sequel’s release, Paramount announced a spin-off prequel was in development with Jeff Nichols set to write and direct. Unfortunately, due to creative differences, Nichols left the project in October 2021, and Pig director Michael Sarnoski replaced him. The studio hired Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn of Stranger Things fame for the lead roles. Djimon Honsou, who played a small role in the original’s sequel, reprised his role for this film. With a $67 million budget, filming occurred in and around London between February and April 2023. Following post-production, the film’s release was postponed numerous times between March 2023, September, and March 2024. After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, A Quiet Place: Day One opened worldwide in June 2024.
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Synopsis
Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) is a terminally ill cancer patient living in hospice care with her cat, Frodo. During a trip to Manhattan with the other residents, several giant creatures crash land on Earth and start killing people. After falling unconscious, Sam reawakens and finds that people stay quiet since the creatures only respond to sound. As she tries to survive, Sam sees the bridges leading out of Manhattan destroyed and the power grid cutting off. Along the way, she runs into Eric (Joseph Quinn), a law school student from England who follows Sam around. The two bond as they try to survive while everyone heads to the South Street Seaport to evacuate. While Eric wants to get to the seaport, Sam intends to enjoy pizza before she dies. It’s a fight for survival as our heroes try to live through the first day of the world’s end.
Review
While this prequel isn’t as strong as the first two installments, A Quiet Place: Day One is a decent watch. What elevates the film are the lead performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, who are excellent together. Nyong’o does a great job as a cynical cancer patient who wants to fulfill her last wish before dying. Quinn also works as a young, somewhat naive law student trying to survive and following Nyong’o out of desperation. They have fantastic chemistry with each other, and I’m glad the movie doesn’t force them into being love interests. They’re just two lost souls trying to survive the end of the world and make the most of it. Admittedly, given it’s a prequel, you can predict where they end up, but you don’t mind spending time with them. The actors give compelling performances to where you root for them throughout the film.
Like the previous films, the cast here is small, and aside from the leads, the rest aren’t developed much. Djimon Honsou is solid as always, but he feels like an afterthought and doesn’t have much screen time. His only reason for being here is to tie in with the other films, making his role a giant reference. Alex Wolff also does an excellent job with his few scenes and has some good back-and-forths with Nyong’o. Of course, the movie’s real star is the cat Frodo, who is very dependable and loyal to its owner. Michael Sarnoski’s direction is solid, and he does a great job staging some post-apocalyptic scenery, especially after the initial attacks. You can tell that Sarnoski is a visual director in the quieter scenes where people walk the abandoned streets. You could watch the film muted and still get the same experience.
Admittedly, it’s hard to talk about this movie other than to say it’s a decent but safe prequel. That’s the biggest issue with this film: it’s neither terribly offensive nor remarkably groundbreaking, but somewhere in the middle. Of course, the movie isn’t without its merits: the leads give great performances, the directing is solid, and it’s entertaining. Plus, at only an hour and forty minutes, it’s a quick sit that’s paced well. Hardcore fans of the first two movies will enjoy this, but they’d probably prefer a sequel. If you’ve never seen either of the first two, you could start with this one, but I’d recommend the original. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this movie is terrible, but it does feel ultimately pointless. Overall, A Quiet Place: Day One is decent entertainment, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking or original.
A Quiet Place: Day One is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
