The Plot: Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself on the run with her cat in New York. Alien creatures with ultrasonic hearing have invaded, drawn to the slightest sound with instant effect. She encounters law student Eric (Joseph Quinn) on the streets. He’s frightened and unsure of what to do. She reluctantly allows him to tag along as they head for what might be a possible refuge…
The Verdict: It appears to be a mostly inevitable fact of franchise filmmaking that with each installment it moves further away from the original idea to the point where it barely resembles the dynamite formula to begin with. Maybe it’s the need for other filmmakers to come into the fray and try something different to distinguish themselves without tarnishing the legacy that came before it. A Quiet Place was an innovative entry into the survival horror sub-genre, memorably creating a tense audience with nary a munch of popcorn to be heard. A sequel followed during the pandemic, just as shattered cinemas were re-opening and it furthered the stakes and cleverly expanded out the environment. A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel to all that, rewinding the clock to the first attack and changing the formula. Not necessarily for the better though.
Michael Sarnoski made an impression a few years back with ‘Pig’, a favourite of its lead actor Nicolas Cage. He’s taken over the director’s chair for this outing and it soon becomes apparent that he doesn’t come across as the right fit for this more mainstream material. His uninspiring script with original writer John Krasinksi moves the sound-based action from the confines of the countryside to the bright lights and big city of New York. Another significant change is moving away from the core of the family fighting for survival to a random group of strangers scrapping about and trying to stay alive. Finally, moving the suspense to mostly daylight robs the creatures of their dangerous sense of mystery. A change of formula isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a director should know how to subtly play into this so that the film stands on its own merits. Instead, Sarnoski gathers up all the best bits of the previous two films and then trots them out with a filtered, considerably lesser effect.
New York in the movies has often had to deal with an imagined, urgent crisis but rarely has the city looked as uninteresting as in this film. Sirens sound, there are explosions and vicious alien attacks on the streets but it’s all very samey and not remotely scary (there’s an unconvincing cheap shot in there too). We’ve been here before – Cloverfield was more effective in creating an atmosphere of street-level terror, particularly with those clacking-jaw mini-Cloverfields. Day One suffers in comparison, lacking any great plot thrust – Samira’s main goal is to secure what might be the last slice of Brooklyn pizza. Right. It speaks of a general lethargy running through the film, which only really gets going in the last few minutes. By then, it’s too late. It’s not unwatchable by any means, it does have some fleeting moments that make an impression, such as the cathartic screams during a thunderstorm.
Rating: 2 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
