A Quiet Place

The main couple’s decision to bring a (crying) baby into the world that the movie creates for them in order for A Quiet Place to work as a suspenseful horror flick ruined it for me. The very opening scene of the walk through the woods, in which the parents let their youngest child walk unattended far behind them, indicated that there would be no hint of even basic common sense. Normally, such nonsense in movies doesn’t bother me, but here the key events in the storyline went totally AGAINST the sophistication of the director’s building of tension stemming from an interesting idea. It was painful to endure the stupidity of this movie, which I was looking forward to and which could (or should) have been perfectly to my taste. (04/10/2018)

A Quiet Place is primarily an outstanding psychological drama about loss (of a loved one, one’s own voice) and the impossibility of letting go of the attendant pain (which, however, can be turned into strength, an idea on which the film’s climax is partly based). The characters have to keep all of their emotions bottled up inside, which only deepens the trauma. Their resources and manifestations of joy, which would bring them relief, are severely limited. Playing the game on which today’s society is based (because we do not want only to consume, but also to have fun) means risking one’s life. In this respect, the film is the antithesis of the dystopia of Ready Player One, which depicts a society focused solely on playing a game. The initial tragedy occurs because of a toy, the next one nearly happens while playing a board game (typically, that game is Monopoly – this is the only way that the characters can treat themselves to the pleasure of shopping). Partners can dance only while wearing headphones; otherwise the use of the technologies on which we are so dependent today is practically out of the question. Thanks to the superb actors, information conveyed in the mise-en-scène and the way the characters react in certain situations, we always understand what the protagonists are going through and what they are doing, even though there is almost no dialogue in the film. It is in this aspect that I see the film’s main element of exceptionalism. It shows what many directors have learned in (not quite) a hundred years of cinematic sound design – how a psychologically layered story can be told without words. Due to the focus on the characters, the slower middle section of the film, the woman’s decision to conceive another child (to fill the void) and some slightly sentimental moments (which, however, are disturbing only when applying a purely horror reading) find their justification. As a horror movie, Krasinski’s film is brilliantly directed and hardly allows us to breathe, even though he uses relatively well-known tricks and rarely gathers the courage to be truly silent. Not only with its content, but also its style, A Quiet Place essentially confirms that American filmmakers fear few things more than absolute silence. The film is thus not remarkable so much because of its work with silence than as a clear connection between the basic conditions for survival in the given fictional world (on must not make any louder sounds) and what the characters are going through. The fact that the film ends in the best way (without eliciting the feeling that something essential remains unexplained) compelled me to add a fifth star to the obvious four. 90% (24/04/2018)

A straightforward family survival spiced up with one interesting variation (the motif of silence, even if it’s not exploited to the its fullest) that is tense rather than scary. The first half is held up by that one idea and great craftsmanship, but the second half is brought down by silliness and breaking the rules the film has laid down. It’s a bit of a problem when at the beginning we are told the monsters are sensitive to the tiniest crack, but during the chase at the end, their sensitivity works in any way that is convenient to the script. Why, for example, in a key moment the boy runs into a corn field is something I can’t make any sense of (I’ve never run into a corn field, but I guess it would be pretty noisy). And the second half is full of moments like this. The monsters are unfortunately shown way too often and they look disappointing, like run of the mill creatures that seem to have fallen out of a Marvel movie (the typical alien minions of the main villain that are there so the super heroes will have something to fight). Although I sound critical, A Quiet Place is an above average film, thanks mainly to the quality of its craftsmanship and the performances. With regards to the horror, at the time of release (April) it will hardly reach this year’s TOP 3 and the comments of it being the best horror film in the last years are totally unwarranted. (13/05/2018)

My comment will not contain anything new. Many others have already noticed that Krasinski devotes much more energy and attention to building tension in individual scenes and achieving immediate effects at the expense of elementary logic and believability of the world he presents. You will enjoy A Quiet Place the more you refrain from thinking about logical inconsistencies and immerse yourself in the story with your brain turned off. Reflecting on how creatures so easily vulnerable could have taken over the world means spoiling the experience. If humanity was so witless that it allowed itself to be massacred by these nobodies, then it simply deserved its decline and exit from the stage. If you refuse the approach of "it happened, don't question it," you will suffer just like me. And rightly so. Overall impression: 40%. (09/04/2019)

A Quiet Place, though I didn't quite believe it at first, is definitely the best modern horror film since The Conjuring. People who are stuck in the 80s and condemn anything new don't even deserve to see it. It's amazing to see a horror film in the cinema after a long time where you experience those uncomfortable feelings like chills, cold sweat and repeatedly jumping out of your seat (one gentleman fell down the stairs on his way to the toilet). John Krasinski clearly loves the horror genre, he has a great idea which he handles with grace, he avoids clichés, everyone involved behaves rationally and the monsters kick Alien's ass with ease (the appearance, the annoying noises, their speed, intelligence and the way they work in general is awe-inspiring). Kudos to Krasinski!! The contrast of the absolute silence that flips to an intense rumble in a moment stands out very nicely, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere as well as some very sneaky jump-scares that are unexpected and very effective. High praise for the music. Emily Blunt is better than ever and I felt the birth scene with her (and it f*cking hurt). Pleasingly, the film is R-rated, so there's a bit of gore too. A very powerful intense 90 minutes of terror that has some nerve wracking scenes and is very emotional and depressing at the end. My only criticism is the last few seconds, which will please the critics, but not much for me as a viewer. The cinema was packed, I hope a sequel or prequel is around the corner! Quite an experience and I'm glad I saw a scary horror film that didn't work with ghosts or demons. I'm curious to see if anyone can dethrone A Quiet Place, for now a clear number one this year. 95% (06/04/2018)