Pleasantly surprised by this taut emotional survival horror tale

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2018)

We have another survival horror movie, but this one is very much one to watch. We have a taut thriller that sees a small tight-knit family under threat by an unimaginable evil set of alien like creatures. The catch? They sense only by sound.
As the family has to keep quiet, amazingly the film thus has very little dialogue. Sounds strange but the filmakers have packed enough scenes of interest as well as action that keeps it flowing. The real language is in the expressions of the family members and their fear of the unknown.
Now you can see the influences from that description, and it's a good jumble of other horror films and yet its got its own strength. The main crux is the emotional attachment. The horror is just in the background, the love for the family is the real attraction. You follow and take the family into your heart as you watch them try to survive in an impossible world under attack
Good acting by the ensemble, with Emily Blunt excellent as always, but its John Krasinski as the patriarch trying his hardest to protect his family who is the main lead. He is powerful and his deteriorating relationship with his daughter is a powerful arc in the story.
Taut atmosphere filmed on what is otherwise not a big budget, yet it far outstrips most other horrors. It's not about the scares, although this has enough jump moments, but it's about the bigger picture.
You see where it has been influenced, but it doesn't rip anything off. This reminded of plenty enough other movies (e.g. The Mist, It Came at Night, Tremors etc) yet this I think will be seriously influential to many others.
One of the better movies of the year so far. If Get Out can be lauded as it was last year, then this similarly deserves full credit and similar attention too. Recommended.