A Quiet Place

A straightforward family survival spiced up with one interesting variation (the motif of silence, even if it’s not exploited to the its fullest) that is tense rather than scary. The first half is held up by that one idea and great craftsmanship, but the second half is brought down by silliness and breaking the rules the film has laid down. It’s a bit of a problem when at the beginning we are told the monsters are sensitive to the tiniest crack, but during the chase at the end, their sensitivity works in any way that is convenient to the script. Why, for example, in a key moment the boy runs into a corn field is something I can’t make any sense of (I’ve never run into a corn field, but I guess it would be pretty noisy). And the second half is full of moments like this. The monsters are unfortunately shown way too often and they look disappointing, like run of the mill creatures that seem to have fallen out of a Marvel movie (the typical alien minions of the main villain that are there so the super heroes will have something to fight). Although I sound critical, A Quiet Place is an above average film, thanks mainly to the quality of its craftsmanship and the performances. With regards to the horror, at the time of release (April) it will hardly reach this year’s TOP 3 and the comments of it being the best horror film in the last years are totally unwarranted. (2018-05-13)

A Quiet Place has such a terribly well-constructed world, such a brilliantly layered narrative and such precisely built tension that one does not want to spoil it with nitpicking and cynical remarks. And there would be a number of them, the first of which being how suicidal it is to walk through this world with a spoiled teenager around one’s neck. However, that is not the case here and similar comments show defects in us rather than in the film. A Quiet Place may faulter in particular mishaps, but its power comes from its excellently thought-out world and its presentation through narration. And just like a slice of life from this unique world, the film is absorbing and fascinating. (2020-05-16)

What seems to be a boosted Spielberg style family drama with a clear concept that sets the rules by inner tension in the first half (before the fireworks) is a silly survival low-budget movie with cheap spooky sequences constantly violating the rules, showing one logical lapse after another and following the scheme of genre clichés the second half (after the shower). Slowly built tension in Shyamalan style (from the times of the Signs) versus glitz and dull-acting characters pushed like puppets moving from one adrenaline-packed adventure to another. The first half is excellent, the second is solid. But they are incompatible and go against each other. This should have been either a quiet cat with soft paws or an insanely barking dog during the whole footage but it is something in between. As a result, the most impressive part is prologue, which would perfectly work as a self-sufficient short-movie; (2018-04-30)

Excellent work with atmosphere and sound, or in this case rather silence. It does not lack a few bold and juicy moments, but nothing original, just another variation of mysterious dystopian monster post-apocalyptic science fiction where something has gone fundamentally wrong and humanity doesn't know which way to go. Krasinski is certainly no ordinary routinist and has potential, but you can't win the Tour de France on a scooter. I believe his next film will be more ambitious instead of a horror one-off. (2018-07-25)

A great idea which sweetened the horror waters of the year 2018. A movie where there is little talking, because it’s set in a dystopian world with an extraterrestrial civilization that destroys everything that speaks aloud. There is a whole array of logical errors, but the simplicity and originality overshadow the contents. The suspense is literally spouting from the movie and the married couple Emily Blunt and John Karsinski are truly enjoying this family horror drama. Just like the viewer, after all. Only from a slightly different perspective. (2018-10-11)