So much lost potential

Rating: 5/10 (25 May 2018)

I wanted to like this and high expectations due to a brilliant idea and great cast.
Sadly, the film did not live up to them. The first scene was good and had us wanting more. But as the movie unfolded, holes in the plot were so loud in such a silent film that it was ear pumping.
The most obvious was the implausibility of a family living in silence where they can't even cough or use the toilet. That is so implausible that I could not get around it and actually enjoy the film. Just because its a movie doesn't mean lazy writing is acceptable.
Then we learn there is a basement, but they only preserved it for emergencies. Why didn't they soundproof the house? Why didn't they move to the basement long ago? Why didn't they live by the river where the monsters can't hear them? Why why why.... oh well.
Then the film was packed with father/daughter cliches, that really had no room in this film. Only time you hear them speak is when they spell out some old dying cliche vomit that makes you roll your eyes.
The saving point of this film is that an hour and a half went by like 10 minutes, and the brilliant could-have-been better idea of deaf silence tension was riveting enough to keep you tight to your chair.
However, the family drama and unnecessary teenage angst really took the fun out of a monster movie. Speaking of monsters, more minus points for tiring CGI and badly designed monsters that could have been more compelling.
A better ending could have saved this mess, but when the titles kick in, the viewer is left with a feeling of something missing, a missed oppurtunity for a good film, perhaps.