The Wasteland Reviewer

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Written Review

Are you ready to return to the ravaged world of A Quiet Place? This time, the clock is being turned back to the first crash of the aliens on Earth and not just for the cold open of a film. Even more different is the setting as we leave the rural setting of the first two films, and we land right in the middle of New York City. For a franchise like this, you need to keep things fresh and writer/director Michael Sarnoski is ready for that task with A Quiet Place: Day One. 

How well does this prequel leverage its new setting? You feel New York City as a presence in the film. You can see this in the trailer, but there are some strong moments that leverage the cityscape with the skyscrapers and subway systems. But the frustrating thing is that these moments are so dispersed that a lot of this film avoids having thrills. The human drama work is strong (more on that later) but with such a setting, it feels so weird that so little of the film is filled with aliens.  This also leads to some of the logic issues of the film as well. But the city is used so well in character moments and development for our protagonist, Samira (Lupita Nyong’o). 

Speaking of logic, does Day One deliver another strong horror/thriller experience? There are a lot of moments that don’t make a lot of sense. The logic for the noise attracting the aliens is quite inconsistent. There is one moment where a main character is saved with plot armor because they made noise right in front of one of the aliens and somehow it did not attack. There is a case to be made that Samira’s cat (the real MVP of the film) is indestructible. Seriously, this cat might have the strong plot armor of any character in a film this year. These elements certainly take away from the experience. There is also a feeling that this A Quiet Place experience is delivering diminishing returns. The scares just didn’t feel as fresh this time, but Sarnoski’s direction made them effective and impactful, nonetheless. If it were from the sharp and tense direction of Sarnoski, this might not even work as a horror film. 

But what is the strongest element of this film? The character work. Samira is carefully built up as a woman who is about to die and feels like she has given up on life. This harrowing experience is one that helps her find value again and live again in a city that was her everything. The narrative details that are slowly built up in the quieter moments all lead up to a big cathartic moment that feels so satisfying for Samira as a character. Nyong’o is incredible in the film as she brings so much emotion in the quieter moments as well as the perfect facial reactions to all the horrors going on around her. Her main companion in this New York wasteland is Joseph Quinn’s Eric who helps her live out some meaningful moments again for the first time in a long time. Quinn can overact with his reactions a bit, but he makes for a good companion to bounce of Nyong’o. His jollier demeanor in the quieter moments allows her to feel alive again. There are even a few moments strong character moments throughout that capture some serious morale dilemmas in such a strange and harrowing experience. This just might be the strong human drama of the serious so far. 

Is A Quiet Place: Day One a worthwhile addition to this growing franchise? The horror might feel a bit familiar despite the new setting. Despite the new setting not being fully taken advantage of, there are still some thrilling moments that are able to deliver despite the logic gaps involved. But Nyong’o and Samira’s journey make this an impactful drama that will deeply resonate throughout. Once that final cathartic moments flashes on the screen, you will know that this harrowing day one experience of the alien invasion was worth it.