Extremely well crafted, but lacking rigor in the writing

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2018)

The first film by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place is above all a highly immersive thriller. It is crafted with both artistic talent and technique, being able to adapt your senses to the world created in the film, without being too manipulative and artificial, but rather being highly sensitive and organic. It all starts with sound design, which is one of the most important technical aspects of the film. You get used to the silence from the beginning, and every sound that you hear matters. You feel the danger, and feel a bit anxious every time you hear something, creating a connection to the characters. The other great thing about this movie is the body language of the acting. Not only the use of sign language, but all the movements the actors make contribute to create tension, and give realism to the film.
All actors here are superb, specially Emily Blunt, who gives a terrific performance. The characters themselves are not complex, and do not offer too much of an arc. Their relationship is filled by good nuances provided by the actors, and very little dialogue. An specific relationship between father and daughter felt a bit artificial, and I didn't really by into their issues, and the way they behaved.
The premise the film is really interesting, and the lack of information about how it came to be only enhances the feeling of isolation by the family. The fact that the film was not at all about the aliens, and didn't explain much about them was also good. The internal logic of the film, however, is a bit problematic. They were not very consistent about the rules established so well during the first half, and screwed up a bit in some of the last scenes. This could have very well been overlooked, but it was such a big deal that it took away all the realism build throughout the film. The last scene, the concept of finding a way to deal with the threat by using the girl's device, and the lack of closure weren't an issue, and were all well made and written, but the scene that preceded that (the one starting with a flood), and the way Krasinski's character meets his end were so foolish and undeserving that all that immersive feeling was gone by the end of the film.
This is a movie that could have been great, but was not rigorous enough in its writing and abandoned internal logic for dramatic purposes, although the immersion, acting and pacing of the film were all superb, and made it entertaining as well as thrilling to watch.