Lackluster, cliche, forced

Rating: 5/10 (29 October 2018)

The problem with A Quiet Place is that it's too contrived and doesn't feel authentic. The characters constantly make nonsensical decisions -- a far cry from the likes of horror movies like the original Aliens, where the terror in the film largely correlates with the way realistic decisions in the face of life-and-death situations create even more catastrophic/deadly scenarios the characters must try to navigate through and escape.
In 'A Quiet Place,' the predicaments are created by the family unnecessarily. In the very beginning, we're introduced to Krasinski and co. rummaging through an abandoned store for supplies. It's here we find out that the youngest child is deaf, and is quickly reprimanded by his father for trying to loudly play with a toy plane (the noise of which would surely attract a monster and spell their demise).
Unfortunately, it quickly falls apart. One scene later, we're introduced to the family hiking through the woods along a road and across the bridge. But in this scene, instead of Dad being overly attentive to his deaf son, he lets his special needs child take up the rear end of the line, out of eyesight and earshot of the family. You can guess what happens next: the child pulls out his toy plane, plays with it, makes noise and is swiftly murdered by a monster. The simple fact that a family with a deaf child would let him travel in the back of the line 30 feet behind everyone else without any sort of supervision or assistance just blew my mind. It was there that I quickly realized the movie would be filled with all sorts of 'forced' moments like this, with characters behaving in ways that are completely irrational or defy any sort of common sense.
It's an -OK- scare flick, but really it isn't that special -- at least, not nearly as special as everyone is making it out to be. It's incredibly overrated. I Am Legend did the entire 'apocalyptic end times scenario with monsters that hunt by sound' thing a lot better. A Quiet Place is one of those 'one-and-done' films: once you see it, you most likely won't care to see it again. If you're looking for a decent cerebral horror movie where characters behave more realistically, try something like The Ritual on Netflix.