The A Quiet Place franchise has always been controversial. Director John Krasinski came up with an unusual scenario and skillfully conveyed the feeling of hopelessness, but filled the script with an exorbitant amount of nonsense.
Let’s think about the moment in the first movie when the parents gave the child a new toy and didn’t check that it was in good condition. It’s too ridiculous a mistake for a world where monsters are blind but have excellent hearing. But if you close your eyes to the obvious mistake, the show will seem tense and unbearably creepy, all thanks to the acting and strong direction. The entire duology consisted of similar episodes: at the same time they made you hit your face with your palm and bite your nails out of anxiety.
On June 27, the prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” was released in theaters around the world, showing the invasion of monsters. The director’s chair was taken by Michael Sarnoski, the author of “Pig” with Nicolas Cage, and he could not cope with the task. The film maintained the script defects of the previous parts and, what is worse, lost its merits.
“A Quiet Place: Day One”: information about the movie
Name: “A Quiet Place: Day One” Director: Michael Sarnoski. Actors: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou and others. Release date: June 27, 2024. Gender: Horror, fantasy, drama. Duration: 100 minutes. A country: United States, United Kingdom.
“A Quiet Place: Day One”: where to watch
Unofficial screenings in Russian cinemas began on June 29. The digital version will be released on July 30.
The video is available on Kinoman’s YouTube channel. The video rights belong to Paramount.
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Girl and cat are going to eat pizza
In the duology, the arrival of aliens was shown briefly, but with impressive effectiveness. The meteor shower, the general panic, the helplessness of the police – all this was very stressful and seemed almost the best part of the film. It is not surprising that the prequel on the first day was so eagerly awaited. I wanted to quickly find out how the authorities reacted to the attack and why neither tanks nor planes stopped the monsters.
Unfortunately, the viewer’s wishes did not concern Michael Sarnoski. In his interpretation, the aliens attacked and, somewhere behind the scenes, quickly defeated everyone. The only thing the government could do was blow up the bridges that connected Manhattan with other regions of the United States.
protagonist
Photo: Paramount
What did the director focus on if not the war with the invaders? Again, it is about the personal drama of the people. This time, the focus is on the girl Samira, who is about to die from an illness. Even before the invasion, she dreamed of tasting a delicious pizza, and after the apocalypse, her goals do not change. That’s right: almost the entire film is Samira’s journey to the pizzeria in Harlem.
In theory, these tropes can be demonstrated dramatically. Our tears prove it when Tom Hanks loses his volleyball in Cast Away. The problem is that moments like this only work with impeccable direction and great acting. The prequel has neither of these. That’s why going out for pizza is understandable, but completely non-contact.
Do you recognize Eddie from Stranger Things?
Photo: Paramount
Michael Sarnosky simply did not fill the characters with depth. This is evident in the example of Joseph Quinn. With the role of Eddie in Stranger Things, the actor proved that he knows how to charm the viewer and turn every frame into a spectacle. In A Quiet Place, Quinn became a standard brave guy who risks his life for a random stranger. Boring!
The most interesting character in the spin-off turns out to be a charming cat who follows the heroes for the entire 100 minutes. He quickly understands the rules and remains silent throughout the movie. He does not meow, does not hiss, does not knock things off the table with his paw, but looks around him intently and voluntarily goes into his hands. As a result, what worries you most is his fate.
Save an ordinary cat
Photo: Paramount
A handful of intense moments over 100 minutes
The disadvantages of franchising have multiplied, but what about the advantages? Not everything matters here either. The prequel runs 100 minutes, and almost all of that time is dedicated to sparse drama. There are also tense moments, but they are criminally few: I only remember the meteorite fall, in which Michael Bay’s production hand is noticeable, a strong ending and a couple of skirmishes with monsters in the middle of the running time.
The aliens are still scary, but they have been relegated to the background of the story and are only invited to come to light thanks to the clumsiness of the heroes. They will accidentally knock over a suitcase or break something with force.
The heroes quickly realize that they must remain silent.
Photo: Paramount
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‘A Quiet Place: Day One’: Is it worth watching?
The prequel cannot be considered an absolute failure, but in terms of quality it is far inferior to the duology. Therefore, only passionate fans of the franchise and horror should watch it.
A Quiet Place: Day One Score: 6 out of 10.
Appreciated
There are a couple of tense moments. Cat is great.
I dont like him
The plot is full of nonsense. The direction is bad. There are very few monsters.
