A Quiet Place Day One is Best of the Franchise

When John Krasinski hit theaters with A Quiet Place, audiences had never seen anything quite like it. Now, six years later, audiences experience the when New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion – Day One.

New York City gives off at least 90 decibels of sound on a continuous basis. So, as Sam (Lupita Nyong’o),Eric (Joseph Quinn) and other survivors try to find a way to safety, they soon discover it’s imperative to remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.

Unlike its predecessor, there is a little more dialogue and a little white cat living its best life in the midst of the madness. With an old school click dial iPad revealing what year we are in, the action kicks off during a marionette show in Chinatown leaving a lot to unpack for the next few hours.

With exceptional sound and production design, the audience discovers quickly these monsters can’t hear sound through water fountains or rainstorms, this chapter is hands down my favorite of the franchise as it has so many layers of complex emotionality while leaving the door open for more adventure to be explored. Little nods to the culture like Sam finding Octavia Butler’s ‘Dawn’ on her quest for pizza in Harlem, the exquisite underwater scene which empties into an ornate church, images of empty basketball court with one ball, burnt up pizzeria and ash covered chessboard brings the reality of the disaster stricken city to life in ways one could only imagine.

Nyong’o and Quinn give spectacularly nuanced performances that are simultaneously heart wrenching and extremely touching.  Their scene in the pizza parlor having slices of pizza pie, brown liquor/beer is endearing as they enjoy one small moment of normalcy in the one place young Sam spent quality time with her Dad.  Even more touching is Sam sacrificing herself to save and Eric and her beloved pet…or does she?  I guess we’ll find out when A Quiet Place III hits in 2025.