Tension at its finest.

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2018)

A Quiet Place made quite the stir, receiving critical acclaim and defying box office expectations. The idea is simple - a family tries to survive after Earth is invaded by aliens that attack anything that makes a sound. The best thing about this movie by far is the way it builds tension. It's not as jump-scare heavy as one might expect, but the few it has are extremely effective, especially the scene with the raccoon. Those who saw it knows what that alludes to. The lack of sound emphasizes the parts that do have sound, which makes even the smallest sounds seem massive. The aliens are shown, but after they're hidden from the viewer until maybe halfway through, making a Cloverfield sort of effect (which, by the way, there's a fan theory that this is a Cloverfield sequel). When any sound can attract the aliens, you realize just how noisy normal life is, and the difficulties of living this life are totally understandable. The audience is also left in a state of constant tension in the sense that you await the scare, you know there's danger lurking nearby, and you just want to watch to find out what happens. It's a very thrilling movie.
The characters - who are not named in the movie - are still easy to relate to, and audiences can understand their troubles. Evelyn, the mother, played by Emily Blunt, is pregnant, and has to silently give birth while a monster stalks through the house. Why they decided to have another kid during this apocalypse I don't know, but it makes for great tension. Lee, the father, played by John Krasinski, who also directed it, has to look after and protect the kids while Evelyn has the baby. Regan, the daughter, is deaf, and feels responsible for the death of her younger brother two years before the movie takes place. Regan is also played by Millicent Simmons, who is deaf in real life, which is a nice touch. Marcus is afraid of the aliens, and has to go through a rite of passage of sorts with his dad. It's a simple cast of characters, but the tension makes the audience feel for them and root for them all the way.
The trouble with this movie is that if you really think about it, especially in context of the ending, there are a lot of plot holes and things that don't make sense. First off, why aren't the monsters swarming around the waterfall? And if there are no monsters there, why doesn't the family live there? And best of all, how the hell did they not figure out how to kill the aliens if it's as easy as shooting them when there's a loud enough noise? Don't you think they would've figured that out within minutes of their arrival? These questions are dumb, but they do bring out some serious issues with the movie. However, the stuff that's good is really good, and that makes up for it. Horror buffs will love it, even if it is kind of dumb.
And by the way, the trailer for this movie is one of the all-time best. It's almost completely silent and builds tension perfectly in just two minutes.