A Quiet Place

A strong contender for one of the 21st century’s very best scary movies, A Quiet Place follows a family of four (John Krasinski’s Lee, Emily Blunt’s Evelyn, Millicent Simmonds’ Regan, and Noah Jupe’s Marcus) as they attempt to survive within a post-apocalyptic landscape overrun by creatures with supersonic hearing. Filmmaker Krasinski, working from a script cowritten with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the briskly-paced proceedings, as A Quiet Place kicks off with an absolutely spellbinding opening stretch that effectively establishes the movie’s desolate landscape (while also maintaining an air of irresistible mystery surrounding the aforementioned creatures). It’s clear, too, that the film’s engrossing atmosphere is heightened by Krasinski’s impressively audacious approach, with the almost total lack of spoken dialogue certainly standing as the most astonishing example of this. (The characters spend much of the picture signing to one another, and the first non-whispered words don’t arrive until around the 35 minute mark!) The gripping vibe is heightened by stirring, engaging lead performances and a proliferation of electrifying sequences, and it’s apparent, as well, that the almost unbearably tense environment is heightened by the realization that none of the characters are truly safe. And although the film does run out of steam somewhat in its overly convenient final stretch, A Quiet Place has nevertheless long-since confirmed its place as a singular and indelibly memorable horror flick – which surely bodes well for Krasinski’s future endeavors (ie the fledgling filmmaker has undoubtedly found his niche, finally).

**** out of ****