90 minutes of extreme suspense

Rating: 9/10 (5 April 2018)

The opening scene in 'A Quiet Place' is one of the best I can remember in recent memory. It is perfectly crafted in every way. It would actually make a terrific little 5 minute short film all on its own. What it does so perfectly is that it sets the tone for the entire movie. The situation is made clear to the audience and then the reason for that situation is presented in brutal and compelling fashion. I was actually left with goosebumps as the title appeared on the screen. Luckily that was only the beginning of good things from what is a terrific horror movie.
There's a whole bunch of early M Night. Shyamalan being channeled in this movie. In fact if you'd told me he'd written and directed it I would have had no doubt you were telling the truth. The suspense most of all. You are literally on edge from minute one and until the credits roll. Not many films can achieve that. In fact not many films can achieve any suspense these days so that just shows how impressive it is to have it there for an entire run time.
The jump-scares in the movie are terrific for two reasons. First of all, they are almost all to do with the story and are genuinely things you should be jumping from. This isn't always the case, but near enough. Secondly, because of the concept of the whole movie needing to be quiet, when a sound rips across the screen it gives you much more a jolt than usual. It's something you really have to experience to know what I mean, but trust me when I say it works.
I loved almost everything about this movie. It was masterfully shot (especially for such an inexperienced director), the creatures looked great and I genuinely cared about each and every character. I love films like this that work because they are proof that there is still hope for the horror genre yet.