A Pizza is All She Needs: A Movie Review of Quiet Place: Day One

This was a story about how the protagonist defied all odds because of pizza. Sounds interesting, right? Well, despite the chaos, the pizza was the main character’s inspiration to survive the seemingly hopeless situation she was in. Pizza? But how?

Quiet Place: Day One premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 26, 2024, and was released in the United States on June 28, 2024. From there, it received various feedback, both good and bad, and had already grossed $258 million worldwide as of writing.

Strengths of the Film:

Let's start with the first strength of the film. Paramount is a major television and film production company, and it didn't skimp on budgets. With Paramount funding The Quiet Place: Day One, the quality of the movie was, as expected, excellent. The camera effects, sound, and clarity of each scene were all top-notch. For example, the aliens looked surreal in the film, as if such creatures actually existed in real life. Although such high-quality production is standard for Hollywood films, it’s not something I could easily relate to in films produced in my own country. I was still amazed, to be honest.

The second strength was the acting skills of the actresses and actors, especially Lupita Nyong'o, who played Sam, the protagonist. She effectively portrayed her character, even with minimal dialogue. For example, in most scenes, I could definitely tell that she was anxious, worried, and scared—not because she expressed it verbally, but because she conveyed it through her eyes and facial expressions. Aside from Lupita Nyong’o, I also want to mention how adorable Frodo was, the service cat of Sam. He became one of the reasons why the film got talked about. In all honesty, he was a good supporting character, and I was curious where he got that skill in acting. He’s such a good boy!

Lastly, the concept of the film was strong. The Quiet Place: Day One stood as a prequel to the first two films in the franchise. The film narrated how the apocalyptic world started, such as where the sound-sensitive aliens landed, how people struggled, etc. This franchise raised a lot of questions for viewers, which I think gave them room for another Quiet Place story to create. However, in my honest opinion, despite the good concept, it turned out to be a major weakness of the film.

Weaknesses of the Film:

Even though I mentioned several strengths, I couldn’t deny that I noticed several weaknesses that hindered me from saying it was the “best” of the two previous Quiet Place movies. In my opinion, it was the worst, and here’s why:

First, the plot was not narrated properly, leaving me confused for the majority of the film. In fact, I felt the writers crammed the story and didn’t give much thought to the flow and details of the narrative;

• It took me more than an hour to figure out the main goal of the protagonists in the story. Sam, along with Eric, put their lives at risk for a box of Patsy’s Pizza. For an hour, I was thinking, "What the hell is going on, and where is this movie taking me?" But after a long series of twists and turns, I finally understood that Sam’s craving for pizza had a deeper emotional reason. However, despite the film’s effort to capture the hearts of viewers, it was ineffective for me. It might have been more effective if the film had mentioned the reason for the protagonist's longing for pizza early on, so the viewers could focus on her dangerous journey and understand the deep reason behind it. For me, knowing the protagonist's struggle and what she was fighting for beforehand would have added more emotional depth throughout the progression of the plot.

• From the title itself, I expected this franchise to detail how it all started. For example, where did the aliens originate? What actions did the government take to prevent these foreign invaders from entering Earth? Did the aliens just appear out of thin air? But instead of addressing these questions, the film chose to focus once again on the story of another group of individuals trying their hardest to survive on day one of the apocalypse. Although the early parts of the film showed the aliens arriving in the form of meteors, that was the only information provided about their origin—nothing more. The concept of day one could have been a great strength if they had just elaborated on some important details.

• I felt the transitions between scenes and events were not smooth. To explain more clearly, each piece of the story wasn't properly and carefully narrated. This issue might be why I had a hard time figuring out the film's direction after watching it for an hour. If the film had effectively placed the sequence of each event, the issues I mentioned earlier, especially number one, would have been considered one of the film’s greatest strengths. Additionally, the lines delivered by the characters were not detailed enough, leaving me confused at some parts. For instance, the poem that Sam wrote took me some time to grasp its true meaning.

Second, the role of Frodo in the film wasn’t strong enough. Aside from being a service cat, it didn’t contribute much else. Although I mentioned that Frodo was a strength of the film, I also considered it a weakness because I felt there was so much more the cat could have offered, but sadly, they wasted the opportunity. In addition, it felt like the cat’s presence was just a bait to grab media attention. In my honest opinion, Frodo’s role in the film was so minimal that the film could have still worked without him.

Lastly, for me, the character development, especially of Eric, wasn’t emphasized enough. Although I could definitely tell Eric had come a long way from his scaredy-cat character at the start of the film, I think it was still lacking. I think this problem also stemmed from the poor narrative.

Worth Mentioning:

I preferred the character of Alex Wolff, who acted as a nurse, compared to Joseph Quinn, who played Eric, Sam’s supporting character. Alex Wolff's character was more emotionally connected to Sam because he had known about her cancer for a longer time. In other words, he had known Sam for a longer period and had spent more time with her. It was disappointing that his character was killed off so quickly, and Eric was introduced in the middle of the film. This was not a good move for me because Eric didn't have much of a connection with Sam, and it felt forced to create that connection. Alex Wolff, on the other hand, had a strong connection with Sam that viewers immediately grasped, knowing he was her nurse.

Conclusion:

I am a fan of the Quiet Place franchise, and knowing there would be another installment got me excited. However, after watching Quiet Place: Day One, I was disappointed. There was a lot of room for improvement, and I hope they redeem themselves in future releases. If I were to rate it, I would give it a 6/10. For now, I'll enjoy my pizza while contemplating whether I'll risk my life for it in the future.

Note: All images are mine unless stated otherwise.