A Not So Quiet Movie

Who doesn’t love a horror movie set in a post-apocalyptic world? Me. I don’t. But, A Quiet Place was exceptional. I never expected to like it as much as I did, this movie was beyond what I thought it would be, and I think anyone who saw it would agree. It grabs your attention, and you can’t look away or otherwise you’d be lost, you wouldn’t be able to understand what’s going on in their world.

A Quiet Place is a horror film directed and co-written by John Krasinski. As someone who doesn’t like horror stories I was a little skeptical of the movie. My skepticism roots from my disliking of all of the horror movies I have seen in the past. I am not one who enjoys the thrill after a jump-scare. Though, I did have high hopes for it because of the casting. Krasinski as the male lead was expected to be very interesting because of his past role in the hit show The Office as Jim, who was a goofy paper salesman. I didn’t expect Krasinski to provide such a convincing act, and he did a phenomenal job. I never expected Krasinski to be such a convincing actor- I expected to not be able to tale this movie seriously. But, I was wrong.

The movie’s aspect of a post apocalyptic world is a little different from the sci fi horror films I’ve seen that include zombies or a diseases. Krasinski co-wrote an abstract film, almost entirely dismissing a script because of the movie’s storyline of utter silence from the characters. If you make the slightest of sounds the monsters will hunt you. Silence is the key to surviving in their world.

Yet sounds play a pivotal role throughout the movie. The smallest sounds are amplified to distill fear and worry in the audience. It makes you feel like you are in their world and experiencing all of these heart stopping moments with them. The anticipation of the worst has you on your toes, and riddled with emotion. So, the family stays completely silent in the times it is most important. But, there are a few times when they have the privilege of speaking without being heard.

The cast of the film was exceptional. Krasinski playing Lee, the main male role- the father of 3 children and one on the way. Emily Blunt who played Evelyn, Lee’s wife. The children were played by Millicent Simmonds as Regan (the eldest, their only daughter), Noah Jupe as Marcus (their middle child), and Cade Woodward as Beau (the youngest). The casts acting in the film gives you the feeling you are there with them. The way they walk, how you can hear their toes hit the sand every step they make, and hear every little thing because of the absence of their voices. It makes you sit at the edge of your seat. Even the noise of a footstep could give them away. It instills a worry inside of you, making you fear for their lives.

The movie gets your heart racing in the most exhilarating way when you hear a noise that is seemingly too loud. It makes you worried for the family and scared for their lives. You can see their worry with the looks on their faces. You’re begging that the inevitable won’t happen, and you hope for the best—like them.

Especially with Reagan’s hardship, she is always the last to know when they’re in danger because of her deafness. It makes you feel for her. It makes you feel for her and her family dealing with this in the world they live in.

The movie’s starting scene with the family in an abandoned drug store makes you wonder what is happening. But, because this movie only contains only a few lines, it requires your full attention to understand what is going on in their world. You can’t take your eyes away from this movie for too long or otherwise you’d be lost; which makes this movie so interesting. In this scene Marcus is sick and they are there to get him some much needed medicine for him to get better. The youngest son finds a toy rocket he’s interested in, but Lee won’t let him have it because of the noise the rocket could cause- which may cost their lives. This had me on my toes, hoping for the best.

One scene in the forest with Lee and Marcus gets your heart beating. They come across a man in the forest, who had lost his wife to one of the monsters. Lee’s instincts saw that the man was in distress, and tried to keep him quiet, but the man couldn’t have bared to live without his wife. Lee knew him and his son were in danger- and he couldn’t bare to see themselves in that position, especially how far they’ve come. This movie is so much more than just another horror film.

But the most heartbreaking but believable scenes were at the end of the movie. They really understood how to instill fear and worry in the audience. You’ll fall in love with the characters. The last few scenes amplify these effects for the audience. As the family fights for their lives from the attack of the monsters, you know how much they love each other and care for each other. You can see the fight in their eyes, the blood rushing in their veins. The connection the audience feels with the actors makes you realize how much they loved and fought for each other. It makes you realize how much you love your family and how much you would do for them.

A Quiet Place made me cry, it made me angry, but it also made me fall in love with this movie. It was everything I expected it to be and more. It made me want to watch it over and over again. It recognizes that there can be more than a fear factor to horror films. It understands the film industry and pushed it’s boundaries as a horror film. It got its reaction it deserved- it was amazing. In conclusion, I would recommend this movie to everyone regardless of your taste in film.