A Perfect Marriage of Silence, Drama and Monsters.

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2018)

While most post-apocalyptic horror is very familiar about people trying to survive in a bleak setting, A Quiet Place brings a refreshing twist to it. After 89 days, the last remnants of humanity, particularly a single family, have survived by living a literal quiet existence. If a single word is said or the slightest noise is made, mysterious blind creatures will hear it even from a distance and will come to slaughter them. They are near indestructible, and impossible to outrun so hiding with sign language in the place of talking is the absolute means of survival.
Similar with Jordan Peele's directing debut in Get Out, John Krasinski uses his comedic experiences in timing to nail the build-up to suspenseful moments and well-used jump scares. By excluding dialogue mostly from the story, the quietness of the scenes leaves you in fear of any sound being made. Krasinski uses his sharp focus with the camera and the amazing sound design to turn everyday objects into instruments of chaos when they draw the attention of the creature's effective hearing. Not since 2016's Don't Breathe and Hush has a horror movie been this effective with idea of sound. Along with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck that he co-wrote with, Krasinski does not let what little verbal dialogue there is to be wasted on exposition. Instead he uses certain visuals to allow the audience to understand the history and rules of the world made effective with the haunting cinematography by Charlotte Hans Christensen (Molly's Game). The limited conversations that do happen are based around characters connecting and rebuilding relationships.
The part of the movie that affected me the most was actually the family drama. From the very start, the film establishes this is a loving and caring family that is negatively impacted by the lack of speaking about their problems that is reinforced by a recent tragedy. While casting your wife in your movie may seem lazy, the fact Krasinski's wife is Emily Blunt makes it justified. The performance Blunt gives as the mother Evelyn is truly astounding with the range of emotion she gives to her character especially with the situation she is in. Complimenting her is Krasinski's own performance as the protective and well-planned father Lee struggling to connect with his kid. When you get these two together in a scene, you feel their real connection as a married couple and parents bring emotional weight to this very bleak and sad story.
The beating heart of this story though really is Milicient Simmonds as the deaf oldest daughter Reagan. Being deaf in real life, Simmonds uses that experience to bring this tremendous arc to her character. While the creatures have a heightened sense of hearing, Reagan lives the opposite unfortunately. The inability to hear without a working hearing aid puts a strain on the relationship with her family, particularly with her father for other certain reasons. Noah Jupe as the younger son Marcus also stands out by bringing a sense of fear that feels real for a child living in a very threatening world. When the two children are separated from their parents due to a domino effect of catastrophic events, they learn to take matters into their own hands to keep their family alive.
While the design of the creatures (made by ILM) feels a bit familiar, Krasinski's execution is what makes them truly terrifying in a very unique way. The Jaws method of holding back the creature's full reveal allows the use of sound and flashes of their blinding speed to build their presence. When creatures come out in full view within the third act they are used effectively in many great Jurassic Park-inspired set pieces especially when they show the giant ear canals hidden within their eye-less heads. But what makes the creatures impactful is what their unknown origin represents; the fear of the unknown taking away those you love. Krasinski has stated his reasons for taking on this project were driven by the responsibility he feels as a parent in real life. And A Quiet Place's monster element reinforces those themes he as a father connects to such as mentoring, protecting your child and making the sacrifices needed to ensure their own future.
A Quiet Place is a perfect marriage of family drama and creature survival horror that creates a brilliant thriller that truly embraces its original concept from beginning to end. While it is not immune to some characters making a few predictable horror movie decisions they are easily forgiven for what it achieves in the end. A Quiet Place will fill you with fear and sadness but by the conclusion you will feel awarded with an excellent sense of satisfaction from the experience.