A Quiet Place Review

            A Quite Place is the kind of film that feel like it was originally meant to be some kind of vanity/arthouse horror project that was somehow warped into a more conventional horror film. It features a rather creative high concept premise that requires the actors to act almost exclusively through their body language and facial expressions. It has a lead actor who also directed, co-wrote and co-produced the film and is the kind of film that would otherwise be so overwhelmed by the ego of said actor that it would be impossible to take seriously. Yet despite all of the warning signs, A Quite Place actually tuned out to be a solid little horror film and is a decent way to spend an hour and a half.

            The film takes place in the United States roughly a year and a half after a race of creatures began appearing, seemingly out of nowhere and began killing off the world’s population. No one seems to know what they are or where they came from. All that anyone seems to know is that are blind, have incredible hearing that can pick up a noise from miles away, very fast, very dangerous and very tough to kill. Our story focuses around a family of upstate New York farmers who are trying to live their day to day lives while trying to make as little noise as possible lest they attract the monsters. And that’s about it.

            This is one of those of films that is sold on a single original idea but is otherwise rather formulaic. The plot isn’t elaborate and doesn’t really get any more complicated beyond that. Whether or not it’s actually any good relies on how well they execute said original premise and incorporate it into said formulaic plot. But, in this case, the execution is, for the most part, spot on. What makes it work is that there is a subtle air of tension is every single scene. It doesn’t constantly shove it in your face with jump scares or moments where the characters almost make a noise but just manage to avoid doing so. You are, however, always aware that any misstep made by these characters could cost them all their lives. It takes what would otherwise be tedious, mundane scenarios and turns them in to life or death situations

            This all eventually comes to a head in the second half of the film when one of these characters actually makes one of these missteps and kicks off the film’s climax. From then on you can cut the tension in every shot with a knife as the monsters creep around while the family desperately tries not to make a sound in situations where all you want to do is scream. The crown jewel, however, has to be at the film’s midpoint and adds several layers of tension to what was already a tense, nail-biting film. I won’t spoil what it is but it’s the kind of event that tremendously raises the stakes and has you praying that the characters can keep quiet while knowing that it is all but impossible.

            What ultimately glues it all together, however is the family. You buy that this family is legitimate. It’s clear that the father loves his kids but has some trouble expressing it to his eldest daughter, possibly due to an early film tragedy. The daughter clearly has issues with the dad regarding this tragedy and feels neglected as a result. The son has a great turn as a kid who has responsibilities thrust upon him that he clearly unready for but none the less has to take on. The only real weak link in the cast is the mother. This is mainly because the film doesn’t give her much to do beyond being the terrified housewife though she does sell the hell out of it and does have some badass moments at the film’s end. But for the most part the character relationships work and help keep the stakes high by successfully making us care about them,

            That’s not to say, however, that the film doesn’t have problems. We never really get any kind of explanation as to what the monsters are or where they come from which is a tad bit frustrating. It has to be said that their designs are rather generic and boring looking like a generic mutant from the Resident Evil games or something. It also has to be said that the film has a bit of a structuring problem as it seems to lack a clearly defined third act. You have the first half where everything is quiet and the characters go about their daily lives and the second half where they’re hiding from the monster and there doesn’t seem to be anything resembling a finale in the film. If anything, it seems to end right before the third act was suppose to start and ends up feeling like we were cheated out of the actual ending as a result. But these things only slightly take away from the overall experience.

            In the end, A Quiet Place is by no means perfect but is an otherwise decent way to spend an hour and a half. It’s suspenseful, dramatic and a welcome breather from all the hundred million-dollar projects that that we have and will be bombarded with over the spring/summer season. I say give it a look.

Overall

8/10

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