Review – A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is a movie set in a world of silence.  This is a dystopian future where people must survive mysterious creatures who are blind, but incredibly sound sensitive.  The movie itself is very quiet, because that is how our characters will survive.  But what first time director and star John Krasinski does so well is immerse us in this horrifying world.  There was a moment during the film where I felt like I was eating my popcorn too loud.  I’m very conscience of my surroundings during a movie and knew that I wasn’t chewing loud.  But that is how into the movie you are.  You aren’t just concerned about all of the characters actions and movements, you’re concerned about you’re own actions and movements.

Krasinski has made one of the strongest directorial debuts of 2018.  He builds this world and throws us right in the middle of it.  He gives us this family that we know and sympathize with right away.  We immediately recognize that the creatures that lurk in woods are the most terrifying thing in the world.  And Krasinski does this all with minimal dialog.  It’s an achievement few directors have accomplished and can accomplish and Krasinski does it with ease.

How Krasinski handles the creatures is brilliant.  This is one of the most genuinely terrifying movie-going experiences I have ever had.  This isn’t a movie about the creatures, this is a movie about survival.  We know as much as the characters do about the creatures and that makes the movie that much more compelling and terrifying.  All we know is that they are crazy powerful, have astute hearing, and will shred any human to pieces.  The terror isn’t right in front of our face, it lurks amongst us and we never know when it is going to creep up.  Krasinski masterfully uses sound design and music to set the tension for each scene.  He utilizes jump scares properly and keeps the lingering fear throughout the whole movie.  My heart racing the entire time and after the movie.

It’s crazy to think that this is Krasinski’s first film, because this feels like something an old pro would make.  In fact, A Quiet Place feels like scariest Steven Spielberg movie ever.  Much like Jaws or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Krasinski made a movie that is character focused with horror elements.  This is a movie about this family and how they are dealing with issues within themselves along with trying to survive the creatures.  This is a movie about parenting, loss, forgiveness, and survival and these themes resonate throughout the entire movie, leading to an emotional climax.  Krasinski also crafts the movie like old Spielberg, using shots that are reminiscent of Jurassic Park in a number of scenes.  It’s technical treat that would make Spielberg proud.

I want to dive into this movie more, but I don’t want to spoil anything about it for you.  Just know that this is a terrifying, immersive, masterful movie.  Krasinski has crafted something truly special here.  This is the dawn of a new and exciting director.  A Quiet Place is one of the best movies of 2018.

Did you see A Quiet Place?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.