A Fine Horror For The Weekend—Review Of A Quiet Place (2018)

The opening scene reveals this family in a deserted pharmacy. The mother picks a prescription bottle, takes out a tablet and gives it to her eldest son who is sick. Her eldest daughter, a teenage deaf girl is with the youngest boy when the boy picks a plane toy. The father sees the toy and hurriedly takes it and removes the battery. The boy is unhappy.

As the family leave the pharmacy and begins to walk in the deserted town, father and mother are shocked when the boy turns on the plane toy, attracting one of the creatures. The father runs to save his son but the creature snatches the boy away and the family breaks down in tears.

Over a year later, the mother is shown to be pregnant. How will this family survive in this silent world, terrorised by alien creatures? Will they ever discover the weak point of the creatures?

Review

If there's a film that immerses its audience in a most tense situation as horror unfolds before their eyes, it's this post-apocalyptic horror. The plot is brilliant and after seeing it, I wonder how the writers came up with this idea. Imagine a world inhabited by blind alien creatures that respond to the slightest sound and everyone is forced to live in silence. I doubt 80% of the human population would survive but these actors convince us that it's possible. Though it comes with hard costs such as living like a hermit and learning some survival skills.

Krasinski did great in directing this horror. The storytelling is clever and subtle. Minute details are revealed in scenes giving viewers an idea of what to expect. For example, in a scene, a nail is shown protruding out of a stair and the pregnant mother who is in labour is shown moving around. Our heart races as we know she'll step on the nail soon and either scream, drawing the creature's attention or miraculously stay quiet.

Though the dialogues are few, the acting is superb. The cast perfectly embodies their characters and puts their hearts into the roles. We feel their fears and tears. Emily Blunt was simply fantastic, especially in the scene where she went into labour and stepped on the nail. The way she struggled to hold in her pain and screams while the creature growled close by, searching for her should be applauded.

The cinematography, editing and transitions are excellent. I believe great care went into the production of this film. Krasinski perfectly balanced the scares with emotional stakes, portraying the love of family and the need for survival.

Overall, this ninety-minute post-apocalyptic horror is a thrilling ride, suspenseful, unpredictable and races hearts. If you want a fine horror for a weekend watch, I recommend A Quiet Place. I'll give it 4 stars out of 5. It has a sequel and I hope to watch and review it next.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}