Silence is especially golden when it's essential to staying alive

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2018)

A close-knit family do their best to survive in a nightmarish world in which lethal monsters with acute hearing track people through sound and subsequently kill them.
Director/cowriter John Krasinski puts a refreshing emphasis on the desperate sympathetic characters and ably crafts an edgy tone that's fraught with a tremendous amount of almost unbearable tension. Moreover, since the story is related on a small scale, the movie possesses a strong sense of raw intimacy that in turn gives the overall picture a surprising surplus of poignancy: The way the family all work together to keep each other alive is genuinely touching to behold and hence ensures that this film is both scary and moving in equal measure. Krasinski and Emily Blunt are terrific as the resolute parents of several children who are determined to keep them safe and out of harm's way as much as they possibly can. Millicent Simmonds contributes a remarkably expressive and impressive performance as a young deaf girl (Simmonds is deaf in real life). The creatures are quite ferocious and frightening. Charlotte Bruus Christensen's beautiful cinematography provides a wealth of stunning visuals while Marco Beltrami's rattling score hits the shivery spot. An excellent and often nerve-wracking winner.