A Quiet Place
Director: John Krasinski
Release Date: 2018
ASL (American Sign Language) in a horror movie? I never thought I'd see that in my day. However, this element, like the majority of plot points in the film, was very convenient to the story. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable.
Like a taut Stephen King short story, we learn this family of five cannot make any sudden sound movements because a creature will kill them. We learn that the hard way when one of their own is devoured after playing with a toy airplane. The movie jumps ahead about nine months and we learn the mother is pregnant, like if she and her husband wanted to replace the (of course their son is irreplaceable) the void left behind by their son. Preparations are made for the new child's arrival. We don't yet understand what those are until the baby arrives. But I'm jumping ahead here. Once we see the Big Bad, we can't unsee its mouth and pulsing eardrums that can hear the tiniest of sounds so they can create destruction at the source of it. The end result and solution arrive a hair late, therefore, tarnishing the whole film for me but its worth a watch.
The good: the sign language with their deaf daughter is effective in this film because the Big Bad destroys anything that makes a sound. Surprisingly, Krasinski and Blunt playing husband and wife didn't weird me out the way I couldn't bear watching Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise get it on in Eyes Wide Shut. The control and subtle action with lots of tension helped add to the pacing and the atmosphere of the film as a whole. Well done.
The bad: I had a lot of questions that weren't necessarily answered but maybe it's because I liked this film (albeit the ending) and I wanted to understand the story more. How long had the Big Bad been around? We see newspapers that are supposed to be our implicit (or explicit, depending on how you see it) exposition and timeline for the Big Bad's existence. Did the family already know ASL in order to communicate with their deaf family member or was it just convenient to assume they all knew it because of the Big Bad? Which one was it? Also, the kid in the beginning. Wasn't he prepped at all about how the Big Bad works and yes, he's a kid, but if they've been on the run for all these days, wouldn't he have better survival skills? The beginning was a plot device for the emotional core between the parents and relied too much on this aspect, for me.
The ugly: that ending. I won't spoil it for folks because I would hate that to be done to me. I didn't like that it ends with a possibility for a sequel. This ending felt too perfectly open not to leave it alone. Sometimes horror films don't need sequels and I think this might have one, not sure if it necessarily needs it. The ending wasn't as awful as a typical M. Night Shyamalan picture that provides a hokey ending with a twist but A Quiet Place's ending did have hokey tendencies. To have been more effective, maybe the optimist in me wanted this solution to arrive faster and then to have a satisfying ending. At the end of the day, Krasinski had me invested, so that's a good thing! On the other hand, when a big thing is revealed that plays a huge part in that ending, it felt drawn out just so we can end that certain way.
A Quiet Place was a solid addition to the horror genre. I wasn't satisfied with the ending but I'll take what I can get. Lot of crappy and forgettable horror pictures these days. If you have seen the film, please watch the Honest Trailer for it. It's hilarious!
Like a taut Stephen King short story, we learn this family of five cannot make any sudden sound movements because a creature will kill them. We learn that the hard way when one of their own is devoured after playing with a toy airplane. The movie jumps ahead about nine months and we learn the mother is pregnant, like if she and her husband wanted to replace the (of course their son is irreplaceable) the void left behind by their son. Preparations are made for the new child's arrival. We don't yet understand what those are until the baby arrives. But I'm jumping ahead here. Once we see the Big Bad, we can't unsee its mouth and pulsing eardrums that can hear the tiniest of sounds so they can create destruction at the source of it. The end result and solution arrive a hair late, therefore, tarnishing the whole film for me but its worth a watch.
The good: the sign language with their deaf daughter is effective in this film because the Big Bad destroys anything that makes a sound. Surprisingly, Krasinski and Blunt playing husband and wife didn't weird me out the way I couldn't bear watching Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise get it on in Eyes Wide Shut. The control and subtle action with lots of tension helped add to the pacing and the atmosphere of the film as a whole. Well done.
The bad: I had a lot of questions that weren't necessarily answered but maybe it's because I liked this film (albeit the ending) and I wanted to understand the story more. How long had the Big Bad been around? We see newspapers that are supposed to be our implicit (or explicit, depending on how you see it) exposition and timeline for the Big Bad's existence. Did the family already know ASL in order to communicate with their deaf family member or was it just convenient to assume they all knew it because of the Big Bad? Which one was it? Also, the kid in the beginning. Wasn't he prepped at all about how the Big Bad works and yes, he's a kid, but if they've been on the run for all these days, wouldn't he have better survival skills? The beginning was a plot device for the emotional core between the parents and relied too much on this aspect, for me.
The ugly: that ending. I won't spoil it for folks because I would hate that to be done to me. I didn't like that it ends with a possibility for a sequel. This ending felt too perfectly open not to leave it alone. Sometimes horror films don't need sequels and I think this might have one, not sure if it necessarily needs it. The ending wasn't as awful as a typical M. Night Shyamalan picture that provides a hokey ending with a twist but A Quiet Place's ending did have hokey tendencies. To have been more effective, maybe the optimist in me wanted this solution to arrive faster and then to have a satisfying ending. At the end of the day, Krasinski had me invested, so that's a good thing! On the other hand, when a big thing is revealed that plays a huge part in that ending, it felt drawn out just so we can end that certain way.
A Quiet Place was a solid addition to the horror genre. I wasn't satisfied with the ending but I'll take what I can get. Lot of crappy and forgettable horror pictures these days. If you have seen the film, please watch the Honest Trailer for it. It's hilarious!
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