You won't remain quiet for long

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2018)

Horror Movies continue to flood the theaters, each one hoping to stake its claim in the Hollywood world and actually get a decent rating. One such candidate comes out this weekend, with a well-received preshowing, and a festival to support it, this movie holds high potential to accomplish the goal of a good horror movie. Tonight, my second review hopes to bring good news on this movie and promote it for being a horror film that will leave you reeling. Robbie K back again, as he reviews:
Title: A Quiet Place
Director:
John Krasinski
Writers:
Bryan Woods (screenplay by), Scott Beck
Stars:
Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds

LIKES:
Editing: Horror movies miss the mark quite often in this category, usually adding unneeded details to increase the length of the movie. A Quiet Place manages to really tighten this element up, with almost 100% of the movie holding pertinence to the movie's storytelling. The result, is an immersive horror tale that doesn't dive too far down the hokey realm and instead towards the quality thriller tale we've been seeking.
Acting: For a movie with few words, the small cast was able to maximize their screen time with their nonverbal acting. Blunt and Krasinski (the actual married couple) play their roles to the T, unleashing all that primitive rage of protecting their offspring from the elements. There is love, passion, and fear all rolled up into the mannerisms and facial acting. As for the kids, again impressive openings as they portray kids stuck in a dangerous wilderness where life hangs in the very balance. The family dynamic reigns strong in this small cast, including all the interpersonal dynamics and drama that comes with a close knit group.
Creepy: The movie wins points in the scare department for being a realistic fear factory that delivered on two levels. One is of course the good use of jump scares that had a number of people jumping in their seats, not over utilizing it as many films in this genre do. However, the real chills come from the creepy atmosphere contained within the deadly frontier our world becomes in this reality. The creatures themselves are horrific, mutated abominations that are the stuff of nightmares as these alpha predators hunt our heroes. Even creepier though, is the feeling of isolation and being watch (or heard in this case) by the threat looming out there. That delicate balance brings with it an inherent suspense that will keep you locked up until its all released in one giant flinch/scream depending on the audience member. This energy carries on throughout the whole movie and is more than a welcome factor this genre needed.
DISLIKES:
A Few Unnecessary Scenes: A small dislike, but there are a few scenes/ideas that didn't pan out for me in the film. Some of these scenes seem to be nothing but an opening for a death or to provide a passing glance of the creatures (which they tease for a lot in the first half of the film). Others, I think try to add a little more tension to the scenario (such as an injured foot), only to not prove pertinent in the long run.
The Pregnancy/Baby Dynamic: On the one hand I liked this component because it helped add more to the family dynamic/character building this genre often fails at. Past this symbolism of hope though, the whole dynamic adds a slight cheesy flavor to the tension more so at the speed, ridiculousness, and semi-cringe worthy handling of this factor. I can't say much without ruining the story, but the direction took a steep drop in believability for me when this gravid plot line came into play.
Trailers: Given the only 90 minute run time, the other factor that provides enough glimpses to ruin the surprise are the trailers. Depending on how many times you have seen the trailers, you can see the twists have been ruined and the movie become predictable. So be prepared my friends, because the more you watch advertising, the more you have revealed before the movie starts.
The VERDICT:
A Quiet Place has accomplished the goal of good storytelling meeting the thrills of a pending game of cat and mouse. The movie has heart, character development and a number of the positives, but nothing is more important is how well the movie manages to ring in terms of tis advertising and how focused they were for a 90 minute scare fest. While those who have seen the trailers a lot may be at risk of a so-so movie, A Quiet Place reigns high in my horror genre and is worth a check out if you have the time/money, all flaws and other thing setc.
My scores are:
Drama/Horror/Thriller: 8.5
Movie Overall: 8.5