A Quiet Place: Movie Review (No Spoilers)

A Quiet Place is the talk of the horror movie world right now, and for good reason. Part of the reason that critics are loving it so much is that it fulfills every one of their checklist items for good horror/sci-fi: plenty of gut-wrenching tension, involving human drama, purposeful use of silence, showing that sometimes what is unseen is scarier than what is seen, "less is more" in terms of gore and drawn-out violence, etc. Through no fault of his own really, to say I am shocked at how good John Krasinski's writing and directing was for this creature feature is a major understatement.

A horror movie that presses so heavily on the importance of being silent may seem like a gimmick, but it is explained very well throughout the movie. Being that it takes place in the near future and involves an alien invasion of Earth, one can only expect so much realism. But none of the characters' actions seemed too implausible to me- the acting was excellent all the way around, and the relationships of the family of main characters is what really makes the audience care.

In terms of cinematic enjoyment, this is a rare treat. Because silence is so essential to the plot, the tension is thrown on so thick that I felt myself even trying to be silent at times- when I heard a man fumbling down the stairs in the aisle on his way to the bathroom, my ears involuntarily perked up and I found myself glancing at people to discover similar reactions. It is a visceral experience to be sure, and while the movie didn't particularly "spook" me, neither did Alien, and I think both of these are better thought of as sci-fi thrillers-and excellent ones at that.

Krasinski's visual flair was also a huge delight for me- no shots were wasted and plot in terms of climax rapidly built towards its eventual crescendo. The enemy was revealed slowly, carefully, like a veiled mist slowly being lifted. In the darkness and the rustic atmosphere, the audience is very much sucked into the characters' world- and within there are even occasional glimpses of visual style reminiscent of the one and only Nicolas Winding Refn.

You are made to think, and you are made to feel what the characters feel with twists and turns along the way-really all I can ask from a sci-fi thriller. The only thing this movie doesn't have in my view is re-watchability. Like many thrillers that build the tension up to a satisfying final release (a great example is Don't Breathe, which is also a great bit of quick entertainment), once I have witnessed it I don't really have the urge to go back and see a bunch of reveals that I already know about. It's really not such a bad thing, it just means that tension is a huge plot device and upon re-watch most of the tension is dissolved since I know everything that's coming. That's really my only complaint, if you could even call it that. A Quiet Place was time very well spent at the theaters, and is a fun experience with friends and family.

85/100