During a visit to Manhattan, a hospice patient finds herself amid chaos when an alien invasion occurs. While others seek safety, she has a more personal mission that she won’t give up on, making an unlikely friend along the way. Starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel that delivers the franchise’s signature intensity while offering a surprisingly emotional story.
As the title implies, the film takes place at the start of the invasion we were introduced to in A Quiet Place. While we were given a peek into the start of the attacks on a small town in Part II, we’re now shown it on a larger scale in the bustling streets of New York City.
We meet Samira (Nyong’o) who is stricken with cancer and after some convincing by a nurse (Alex Wolff), joins a group of other patients on a trip to the city, her service cat Frodo alongside her. But while there, horrors unfold as a meteor shower reveals itself to be the arrival of violent extraterrestrial beings with a hypersensitivity towards sound.
But with her terminal diagnosis, Sam has a final wish that she won’t stray from, sending her on a journey through a city in shambles. However, she won’t be alone as she forms an unexpected friendship with a man named Eric (Quinn).
Taking the writing and directing reigns from John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski brings a unique perspective to the franchise while still feeling cohesive with the first two. It effortlessly weaves in the information we learned from the previous films about the invasion and the species but stops ahead of trying to “defeat” them.
Of course, it delivers a heart-pounding experience, but it remains focused on the piece of the series that hinges on these compelling bonds between humans in a time of crisis and the sacrifices some make for the ones they care about.
The dynamic between Sam and Eric is one of the best examples of friendship in a film, especially an apocalyptic horror. They forge this lovely, selfless connection that will leave you so enamored — with Nyong’o and Quinn delivering fantastic performances that showcase their character’s vulnerability.
There’s a nice duality between the two: one who no longer fears death and the other who is so crippled by fear and anxiety at times. They quickly develop compassion towards one another, producing such a heartwarming backbone to a thrilling disaster film.
But as mentioned before, an aspect of the franchise that it has become well known for is its intense and exhilarating sequences, only amplified by the need for silence. A Quiet Place: Day One certainly doesn’t hold back, keeping you locked in and sinking into your seat, holding your breath at every pinnacle moment.
It’s a rollercoaster of tension, which is heightened by the hecticness of NYC. While we’ve seen the destruction these creatures can cause, this is our first time seeing it on such a massive scale. And at this point in the franchise, it was a nice change of pace.
It was also great to have an added link to the previous film, with Djimon Hounsou returning as Henri, the leader of the island of survivors we saw in the sequel. I enjoyed that we get an added layer to his character, as I did feel he was underutilized in that film.
A Quiet Place: Day One has easily become my favorite of the series, in large part due to the powerful performances. It’s such a character-driven franchise that balances the action and thrills effortlessly, and this film was no exception. Nyong’o is such an incredible leading lady, and the story has so much heart that culminates into an emotional final act and one badass final scene.
(cat spoiler alert: he lives!)
A Quiet Place: Day One is in theaters now
Jordy Reviews It 
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