Clever concept, brilliant acting sabotaged by too many plot holes and inconsistencies

Rating: 5/10 (30 January 2019)

I don't like being scared. So, as you can imagine, horror is not my favorite genre. A Quiet Place actually helped me understand what makes a horror film tolerable for me. Some of it is good. Some isn't. I'll start with the good. The premise is very clever - a monster with only one sense - hearing. That allowed for some great close encounters. The tools the family uses to protect themselves - from knitted monopoly pieces to fireworks - are also very clever. And logical. I love logic. The family is relatable, their struggle to survive felt real, for the most part. The fact that so much of their survival seems to be owed to having a deaf child gives it a beautiful additional dimension. The acting is brilliant, especially Emily Blunt and the young Millicent Simmonds.
But here's the problem. Because I like logic, I can't help noticing when it's missing. And it's distracting. And when it happens too often, as it unfortunately does, it's hard to stay fully engaged. Like, I couldn't quite focus on the wife trying to slip away from under the creature's nose because I was too busy wondering why the crate was open. Things that bring on dire consequences at one point somehow don't cause any trouble at another time. Objects conveniently (or awfully inconveniently) appear in places they have no business being - a bunch of prescription drugs, a nail, a microphone. These are not mere inconsistencies, they drive the plot, which makes them kind of, um, cheats. I also don't understand why a movie with so much innovation had to resort to cliche "jump" moments - a bloody hand on the shower door, a hand grabbing a wrist. Couldn't he just tap her? I jumped alright. And then I rolled my eyes. All those things were pretty effective in keeping me from getting too scared. But I think I would rather feel scared, than duped.