'A Quiet Place: Day One' review: Lupita Nyong'o carries through deafening silence
MANILA, Philippines — John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place" franchise turns back time to reveal further what happened when killer aliens attracted to noise landed on Earth, specifically in one of the world's loudest cities.
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o portrays terminally ill cancer patient Samira who joins a group heading to downtown New York to watch a puppet show, but really she's there to grab a slice of pizza.
That very same day, the aliens fall from the sky and pounce on every human being that makes a sound, rendering the Big Apple and the millions within it silent.
But Samira is undeterred about getting pizza, even after her cat Frodo leads anxious English law student Eric (Joseph Quinn, breakout star of "Stranger Things") her way.
The first "A Quiet Place" was such a revelation for modern horror plus the fact it was Krasinski's directorial debut, but what made it truly sensational was the focus wasn't on the lurking aliens but the family dynamic during the apocalypse.
Krasinski expanded on that concept in the pandemic-delayed sequel, which also showed a glimpse of the aliens' arrival, before handing over the reins to Michael Sarnoski for this prequel spin-off.
Sarnoski, whose own debut "Pig" starring Nicolas Cage, was an excellent selection to focus on a personal story in the midst of chaos, though perhaps that inexperience also drags "A Quiet Place: Day One" some notches down.
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Nyong'o and Quinn are both excellent, their faces capable of delivering ranges of emotion without making a single sound and such expressive eyes that pierce through the quietness.
The short runtime doesn't allow much for world-building, not that it's necessary at this point, but Sarnoski and Krasinski (who contributed to the story) keep the limited focus on the characters — Samira dealing with how much life she has left and Eric balancing fear with anxiety.
Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou, mildly reprising his character from "A Quiet Place Part II," has one excellent scene early on but he's easily upstaged by the two cats that play Frodo the cat, certainly a crowd favorite whether one is an animal lover or not.
Like its predecessors, "A Quiet Place: Day One" uses sound design to its advantage, loud when necessary and almost frightening low tones, which are just as tense as deafening silence.
Plot conveniences aside, plus the fact Sarnoski has no experience yet with fast-paced or bigger budget films, "A Quiet Place: Day One" fits very much in Krasinski's universe of prioritizing the human element in apocalyptic or horror movies.
We may not believe that New York City could easily fall into silence, but we can definitely all understand how important pizza can be in our lives.
"A Quiet Place: Day One" is now showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide.
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