A Quiet Place: Day One Movie Review – Unexpected Light During Dark Times

From the mind of John Krasinski, A Quiet Place: Day One is the prequel to his two previous installments. While he directed the other two films himself, this one was directed by Michael Sarnoski, known best for the thriller Pig (2021). This film is definitely the loudest out of the series so far, and does not directly correlate to the family’s story from the first two. The story presented on the screen this time is one of unexpected friendships and, really, what it means to die on your own terms. I think it could very well serve as a stand alone. It wasn’t what I was expecting when I walked into the theater, so let’s talk about what it brought to the table. 

A Quiet Place: Day One is now playing in theaters.

Check out Keen’s recommended upcoming horror films. 

Story – The Beginning of the End

A Quiet Place: Day One revolves around the first day of an alien invasion that attacks New York. The opening scene claims that New York averages a decibel of 90, which is equal to that of a constant scream. Unfortunately, the aliens taking over the planet can hear a pin drop. This leads to the destruction of the city as the story follows the main character Sam, her cat Frodo, and her newfound friend Eric on their venture to safety through the rubble.

Sam walking through the city before the invasion.

Aside from the world ending, Sam is dealing with cancer. She really just wants some pizza from her favorite childhood spot, and Eric helps her with this quest as they cross the city. There’s a heartfelt story of unexpected friendship unfolding here. It’s a message about depending on one another when times are tough. It’s a story of preservation through darkness, community, and what it takes to survive the end of the world. This plot also reveals a bit more about the aliens themselves which is nice since they were a complete mystery in the first two films. 

Characters and Performance – Cats Are Stars Too

I really loved the cast for this film. Unexpectedly Alex Wolff was the nurse to the main character, Sam, played by the star Lupita Nyong’o. While his role wasn’t a main part of the story, it did set up the film and help introduce the audience to Lupita’s character. Lupita’s performance was heartfelt as was her co-star Joseph Quinn, who plays Eric. The tears they shed together felt effortless and always matched the intensity of the scene, and their unexpected friendship storyline really paid off. Watching them together on screen had me rooting for both of them the entire time. They had pure intentions of helping each other to the end. 

Lupita Nyong’o as “Samira” and Joseph Quinn as “Eric” in A Quiet Place: Day One from Paramount Pictures.

Of course, another star emerging from this film is the feline companion, Frodo. He was full of curiosity throughout the entire film and thankfully, that did not bring him any harm. In fact, his curiosity is what united Sam and Eric to embark on their end-of-the-world mission together before reaching safety. And of course a cat was the perfect animal for the role given their natural silence.

Cinematography and Sound – A Muted World

To juxtapose the usual vibrancy of New York, the color scheme of this film is very muted. Sam’s wardrobe consists of a bright yellow cardigan and an orange beanie which separates her visually from the crowd. The scenery is made up of gray and blue tones, highlighting red to represent all the bloodshed and the occasional yellow, orange, or green. 

Sam’s wardrobe makes her stand out against the background.

Since this event occurs before the other films, there is more sound and dialogue to follow along with. Sam loves listening to her iPod so there are a couple instances of music playing from her earphones. Of course, there’s the sound of the aliens rushing towards noise which is terrifying. It’s like a stampede of bulls. The sounds they make themselves include horrifying screeches, clicks, and groans that indicate their presence.

Editing and Pacing – Everything Made Sense

The editing for this film felt smooth and didn’t give me a chance to glance away from the screen. When the aliens first attack, there is a lot of debris and dust in the air, leaving Sam disoriented as she tries to find out what’s going on. The camera followed her frantic movements to make it feel like anyone watching was just as disoriented as her. When listening to music on her iPod, the technique of trans-diegetic sound is used. This means that the music that Sam is listening to in the film is the same music we are hearing through the screen. It unites the story world with the real world – and in this instance it is used for a brilliantly cliché ending. 

Frodo being a curious cat.

A familiar face is Dijon Hounsou, who plays Henri. You may remember him from the second film as the man who helped the Abbott family get to the safe haven. There’s also a lot of cat shots and a whole scene of the camera following Frodo around through the city. Although just a cat, he is definitely another star in this film.