A Quiet Place (2018 Film) Review
John Krasinski and his real life wife, Emily Blunt, star in "A Quiet Place," a chilling Horror film about a family who must stay quiet in order to survive the deadly monsters that lurk around them. If they make a sound, it's game over, man. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe play Krasinski and Blunt's children. Krasinski directs "A Quiet Place" and Michael Bay produces the film along with his production company, Platinum Dunes.
Overall Thoughts
I have had little-to-no experience with the Horror genre. I know, it's ironic because I call myself "The Film Fanatic," but it's true. Unless Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" or Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" are considered Horror films, then you can say I've had some experience with the genre. That said, I didn't see them as Horror films since neither of them scared me when I first saw them, and I was eight and twelve when I saw the two films for the first time. For a long time, I've actually prided myself on not seeing many Horror films. I just saw the genre as one that only existed to scare viewers without having anything else to offer. While part of that belief remains, I'm now open to exploring the genre more. Why? Because "A Quiet Place" is an excellent piece of filmmaking.On the surface, "A Quiet Place" doesn't seem like much of a film. Just your traditional, run-of-the-mill Horror film, right? Wrong. This film does for the Horror genre, what "Arrival" did for the Science-Fiction genre back in 2016. It uses a premise that might seem familiar, but turns it on its head, telling a story that's more about the relationships within this family, than it is about the creatures that hunt them. For the first half, "A Quiet Place" devotes its time to fleshing out this family, showing how each member gets along with one another and how they find joy in a world that's become bleak.
It's only in the second half where things get scary. The monsters come out in full force and from then on, the film is a non-stop thrill ride. Scratch that. It's a thrill ride from beginning to end, but the suspense is a bit underplayed in the first half as we learn about the family. We're reminded of the threat in between the character development, but I felt as if the suspense wasn't fully present until the second half of this film. From then on, I was on the edge of my seat. Speaking for myself, I didn't find the Horror elements scary. I did jump as a result of the occasional jump scare, but that's about it. I can't, however, say the same about the individuals that decided to see the movie with me: my grandmother and sister. In reality, it's kind of funny since my sister originally teased me, saying that she was coming in case I got scared. As it turns out, it was the other way around. Anyway, the monsters will get their own section later on in this review. I just wanted to share about the experience of watching one of, if not, my first Horror film.
The Abbotts
My main issue with Horror films is that some, if not all, of the characters make dumb decisions that tend to put themselves in serious trouble. Even worse, there's no other reason to have that happen, other than paving the way for more scares to happen.
While there are a few dumb decisions made on the part of the characters, overall, the family in "A Quiet Place" was smarter and prepared for the worst-case scenario. They had safety measure after safety measure, which proved quite effective in their survival. From lights to signal the state of emergency to covering the trails with sand in an effort to make as little noise when walking, I was continually impressed with the intellect of the family. From where we meet them, it's not like it has been many years since the monsters came about. In fact, it's less than a year after the world got ravaged by these creatures when we meet this family. As a result, they aren't prepared for everything, but it was interesting to see them figure out more ways to avoid being heard by these creatures.
Starting with the kids, I felt that while the two actors were impressive and fulfilled their roles with ease, the best part of the two kids were how they were portrayed. They were flawed and didn't always make the right choices, but they always managed to help out when the parents were in crisis, both physically and emotionally. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as Regan and Marcus were absorbing as a brother and sister duo. I bought into their relationship and enjoyed as they worked together to survive when they were separated from their parents. Simmonds is actually deaf in real life and, rather than have it be a disadvantage for her, the story incorporates that it in a way that helps cement the unity between the members of this family. With each member having his or her own problems, this family goes the extra mile for one another. Marcus was the least-developed character in the film, but his relationship with the rest of the family and his line delivery was enough to get me invested in him.
Emily Blunt is a favorite actress of mine. Very few times does she disappoint, but she delivered with her performance in "A Quiet Place." Her character has the most intense scene in the film where she must give birth to her child while simultaneously being hunted by the blind creatures. (You've seen a bit of it in the marketing, so it isn't a spoiler.) I may not have been scared, but I was afraid for her and her child whom she was in the process of delivering. Blunt has the best lines of the film, both spoken and unspoken. I dare not spoil them, as simply typing them would not do justice to how she delivers the lines. It's better left for you to hear it for yourself. Obviously, her character has chemistry with her husband's character, Lee. It kind of goes without saying. I'll be honest, she wasn't the star of the show, and it's a little peculiar that she got top billing, but Blunt was perfectly cast.
Whether it's for directing or acting, John Krasinski deserves an Academy Award for his work done on this film. "A Quiet Place" is Krasinski's third time directing. Critics and audiences at large considered his two previous efforts, "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" and "The Hollars," average or uninspired. Personally, I have yet to see those films, but if they are as good as "A Quiet Place," it only gives more reason to give this guy an Oscar. Krasinski's love and passion is clear in every frame of the film. You can tell from every minute detail that there was inspiration behind it. As Lee, his love for his family can be seen from every scene that he's in. To many readers, you may get tired of me saying, "So-and-so should get an Academy Award for his or her work!" This time, I mean it. Come January 2019, I will be extremely anxious to see if John Krasinski's work will be rewarded.
The Monsters
"A Quiet Place" left me with many feelings. Feelings of love, sadness, and surprise. Surprise not just because of the quality of the picture, but because how great the CGI was. This movie has a budget between seventeen and twenty-one million dollars and somehow, the CGI looks better than some movies that have a budget of a hundred, two hundred, even three hundred million dollars.
The monsters looking great is a huge accomplishment for this film. If they didn't, the tension wouldn't work because the threat wouldn't be threatening. In the beginning, these monsters are used sparingly. When they show up, we don't get a clear look. At that point, the film's editing become faster and shaky cam is used to make viewers uneasy. As we reach the ending, the cuts are extended and the camera slows down, enabling us to get a good look of the monsters in their entirety. This was something I noticed while watching the film and thus, adds to the many praises I have for its direction.
My only problem with the monsters, and the film at large, is that they needed a little more definition on what they could hear and couldn't hear. These monsters find targets via the amount of noise made. I understood that the characters were able to breathe and do certain things that made very little noise, but I wasn't sure how the monsters weren't always flocking towards the ravines and creeks that had water rapidly flowing through it. Was there a filter that enabled the monsters to discern natural sounds from man-made sounds? In that area, the film is a little spotty and leans heavily on the suspension of disbelief, but other than that, it is ship-shape.
Score
I've been wildly raving about scores of late. Is Marco Beltrami's score for "A Quiet Place" as good as the scores for the films I've been praising about recently? Not quite.
You see, the "Logan" composer does create tracks that serve the film quite nicely. They raise the energy and intensity of the film while offering notes that also elevate the moments that are meant to be emotional. Beltrami's score is effective playing throughout the film, but there's one glaring problem that I have with it.
Unfortunately, the score is sounds like a repetition of his other works. There's a lack of identity, which keeps the score from standing apart from Beltrami's other compositions. You might think that since the score serves the film to the max, I'd forgive it, right? All of that might still be good for the film, but since, at least to me, it sounds like something the composer's already done, it cripples the whole affair. Fortunately, the cripple does as much damage as a bullet does to Captain America's shield.
Grade: A
Now, I know what you're thinking, "Three Grade A films in a row, Dallin? Lately, you seem to have loved every film you review." The thing is, if a film impresses me with how well-made it is, touches me emotionally, or surprises me with how entertaining it is, I cannot ignore my feelings and not give it what it deserves. "A Quiet Place" does all of those things and, in my opinion, deserves that grade. You might not think so, but I put a lot of thought into the grade I assign a film and the grade it receives is my honest opinion. The theme of my overall thoughts for "A Quiet Place" is one simple phrase: less is more. The film isn't as flashy or as grand as the films playing in theaters alongside it, but a lot is accomplished with the small budget the filmmakers were given. As evidenced with the revenue this has made, it's clear that John Krasinski and company are reaping the rewards of a piece of work that did so much with so little. To sum: go see "A Quiet Place."
Conclusion
And thus ends my review of "A Quiet Place." If you have seen this film, what did you think of it? Do you concur with my thoughts? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. While you're at it, share a film that you'd like me to review in the future. To those of you who have not seen "A Quiet Place," go see it. If you don't want to pay to see it in theaters, take the chance to, at least, rent it when it comes to all the home media formats. Thanks for reading; I'm Dallin, the Film Fanatic, bye-bye.
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