Horror

Lupita Nyong’o takes the lead in the latest installment of the A Quiet Place franchise which depicts the events that led to the Earth being taken over by sound-sensitive aliens. Directed by Michael Sarnoski.

Synopsis

During a day-trip to Manhattan, terminally ill cancer patient Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself in the midst of a terrifying invasion from alien monsters ‘riding’ on a meteor shower. They are murderously effective at slaughtering the human population, but are highly sensitive to noise. Sam embarks on a journey of quiet rediscovery of the joys of being alive with her cat and fellow survivor, English financier Eric (Joseph Quinn).

Review by @Reelreviewer

Third film in for the ‘sound sensitive space monsters gobbling up earthlings’ series that got off to a cracking start in 2018 with the novel narrative device of sign language and gesture rather than the spoken word, a patient, character-centred creature flick instead of the usual loud thrills and spills.

For the latest installment, the production has moved the action from a relatively soundless rural setting to the noisy throng of New York; the titles inform us that the average daily sound volume is 90 decibels, equivalent to a person screaming.

Apparently (I found out this away from the movie), prolonged exposure to this can damage your hearing in the long term. So is this why the planet is then suddenly invaded by sound-hating creatures? Are they just alien audiologists on a rampage to prevent humans from becoming hard of hearing?!

One person who doesn’t have to worry about adjusting to a silent world is the lead character Sam (played with deft, deafening sarcasm and humour by Lupita Nyong’o). When we first see her in the well-meaning hospice, it’s no wonder she isn’t walking – it looks like terminal boredom will do her in before her terminal illness.

The only company she has that doesn’t patronise her or walk around on eggshells is her cat Frodo, a remarkably street-smart puss that appears to have an internal map of The Big Apple.

I like Nyong’o as a performer; she’s one of the best in modern cinema. Here, watch her face and her hugely expressive eyes closely – she isn’t able to use the full range of voice in such a film. There’s a world of pain behind those eyes, so it’s the measure of an actor who can deploy their physicality so movingly.

A trip to NY to see a fleapit theatre puppet show turns into a brief moment of wonder for Sam and the small audience. I love how director Michael Sarnoski builds this scene. From the puppet master’s slightly bungled start to making his marionettes fly using a balloon, this is a lovely nod of appreciation to a (mostly) forgotten entertainment form.

Sam also happens upon a near-drowned English financier called Eric (played by Joseph Quinn), a young man three and a half thousand miles from home. They form a friendship and Eric’s presence reveals Sam’s hiden side; she is a published poet with more to say than “this is shit”, as per her opening scene.

Both also appear linked by a need to keep wearing cumbersome items of clothing: Sam holds onto her chunky yellow jumper like it’s a security blanket and Eric refuses to remove his garish green tie.

The puppet theatre scene provides the perfect, calming bridge before the inevitable and the monsters, riding on the back of a meteor storm, plop to the ground and skewer and decimate the population. Sarnoski and his team develop these animals’ behaviour from the first two movies – they communicate and move en masse in great waves toward noise and human prey. We also see them eating from cultivated football-like ‘eggs’.

Which begs the question – why are they killing humans if they aren’t eating them? Perhaps the next film will answer this if you haven’t had enough of the series. Co-creator and writer John Krasinski confirmed some time ago there will be a further addition to the franchise, returning to the original family led by Emily Blunt (in real life, Krasinski’s wife). It’s set for release next year. I, for one, can’t wait.

See the official trailer for more about A Quiet Place: Day One.

Cast & credits

Director: Michael Sarnoski. 1h 39mins (99 mins). Paramount Pictures/Platinum Dunes/Sunday Night. (15).

Producers: Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, John Krasinski.
Writer: Michael Sarnoski.
Camera: Pat Scola.
Music: Alexis Grapsas.
Sets: Simon Bowles.

Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Eliane Umuhire, Takunda Khumalo, Alfie Todd, Avy-Berry Worrall.