That darn cat!
The Paramount Pictures film “A Quiet Place: Day One” offers enough suspense and scares, but can’t really answer one fundamental question. Why did it need to exist at all?
And here I thought we were done asking this question. Well, in this particular way at least. The last time I had a good time with a film and was asking this version of this question (for which I still don’t have an answer) was with “Rogue One”. I love that film on every level, but I never felt like it proved why we needed it. Sure it expanded the overall franchise’s legacy and mythology, but it’s not like it was really the missing piece. I’m sure, with the help of many different stories, in various formats, over decades, that was already taken care of. I guess this new film now joins that sci-fi epic and will be loved by plenty of people, but it will always have that question hanging over it.
“NYC. The Shadows at Sundown”
We’ve been living with the previous entries for some time now. And that right there, is the biggest issue with this film. No matter how much you love this individual installment, and the looming question asked at the beginning, nothing is going to change this particular problem.
It’s not that fans don’t want more stories set in this world, but we don’t want to go backwards. There’s a reason we didn’t start with knowing how the creatures got here. It’s been done plenty of times and often when fixating on where the aliens came from, it weighs things down. It’s the only thing I somewhat disliked about “Part II”. Thankfully that was quickly overcome, but still, for a moment, it was a tad annoying. They just really wanted John Krasinski back.
Fortunately, this film dives pretty quickly into everything and you mostly forget you’re watching an unneeded prequel. While my screening was initially besieged by technical issues, which went on for far longer than they should’ve, things evened out and I got into the story. I got to know the characters.
And that right there, is the biggest hallmark.
It’s character focused.
While a slight negative exists in learning about Lupita Nyong’o’s character, it amazingly doesn’t matter. You’re pulled in. You understand why she’s doing everything. She’s a different kind of hero and survivor. If this franchise has one stellar thing going for it, it’s this. You may come for the creatures and how they terrorize people, but you stay and are taken in by the characters. The characters really are the driving force. I certainly understand why she took the role. And it explains why I wasn’t sure if I was watching a horror film or a tearjerker.
Most of the time we don’t need to deeply invest. It’s helpful for most types of films, but here, you have to. It’s part of what draws you in psychologically. It’s what makes this alien attacked world so fun to visit. How much are you going to be scared? What build up is there? It’s nowhere near enough to simply have cool creature designs and gnarly violence. No, you need much more. And, even for and with that little fur ball named Frodo, you get that.
If it doesn’t seem I have a true negative to talk about, I’ll give you this. It’s only slightly negative, but it also harkens back to the whole living with this franchise for some time now. It’s not as scary or suspenseful as I was hoping. Yes there’s plenty of sequences and what was given did work well on me (I didn’t completely calm down for a few hours), but the immediate effect was a bit of a letdown. Often times with suspense and tension building of this sort, it burrows underneath my skin. I pick up all the cues I’m supposed to, and it’s like I’m one of the characters. It’s happening to me. Hell, I and the people watching stopped eating popcorn at numerous points, and it likely wasn’t because we ran out. But most of this viewing was steady. I can’t fault Michael Sarnoski, but even in a new setting, you can only do so much. “Scream VI” somehow managed better tension and suspense. Or, at least a more consistently effective kind.
As for the creatures themselves. I love them still. Sure we didn’t get much new with them, but a few little things seemed to expand on how they operate. How they live. Does this information add a great deal to this film or franchise? Not really. But, then again, neither does the film itself.
I do have one final question, which is sort of a negative: Why are all these sequels and prequels coming back with new composers? No Marco Beltrami for this one and Michael Giacchino didn’t return for “Inside Out 2” or “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”. I’m not saying this film suffered completely, but when I went in I was expect Beltrami’s familiar work. It does make some difference.
Originally Released: June 28, 2024
Written and directed: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou
...Everything in Between 