Wonderfully made ... awfully written.

Rating: 5/10 (25 June 2019)

This is a split review, because to properly evaluate this film I have to divide between the film craft and the writing.
First, this is a beautifully made film that is beautifully acted. Since hardly any words are spoken, the full impetus on the actors' talent to emote using expression and gestures is stretched to their limit. It is extremely effective, and communicates the stress that the family endures very well. Watching this I was never bored. The cinematography, soundtrack, and camera work are used to great affect to show expanse, community, and even claustrophobia when necessary.
The film soured quickly for me because of plot holes so large and shallow that it seemed worthy of M. Night Shyamalan.
Beyond here there lie spoilers.
First, you have invading creatures that are blind and have impenetrable skin, but have ultra-sensitive hearing. It's not until the very end of the film that someone figures out that if hearing is their big advantage, then it can be used against them. Sound-seeking creatures are almost a trope in science fiction - and these problems have been attacked before. The thumping machines in Dune to lure the sandworms away from the spice collectors, for example. It just seems to easy to completely confuse the creatures by saturating the atmosphere with sound so they have no clue where to go. It seems you could lure them somewhere and trap them. While super-fast they don't seem to be juggernauts so can they get through steel or iron or rock? Could a tank stand up against them? None of this is explored - just they killed everyone and everything and even the military couldn't stop them. The creatures themselves are fairly small, but they seem to eat without end. And for creatures with great hearing, they have no ears or sound cones or anything to help them hear. They just do.
Early in the film we see the family gathering supplies, and the youngest child gets an electric space shuttle toy - complete with batteries. The father takes this away from the child, removes the batteries, and places them both on a counter, then using sign language tells the boy it's too loud a toy. Then turns and leaves. So, something that can bring the family certain death he just takes it apart and puts it down. Now, don't pick up that toy and put the batteries back in. Which is exactly what the child does and we see him get eaten later on.
The foolery of this scene demonstrates what is all too common in this film in that all the plot points are forced. All of them. Of course the child gets the toy and the batteries and puts the batteries back in. Later on, as the family is walking home on sanded paths, the child turns the toy on and it makes the devil's own racket. The mother holds her mouth in shock. The father - the farthest from the boy - starts running but before he can get to the child "something" rushes past and the boy is gone. Just gone.
So, here is a child that for months has been told not to make any noise, and has even learned sign language. Still, he is stupid enough that he turns on a loud buzzing toy and plays with it. Out in the open. Yeah, that makes sense. Not that he could have played with the toy good enough without the batteries, but dad doesn't think of that. Or, rather, the writers needed the child to do this to propel the plot. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.
About half-way through the film, the children knock over a kerosene lantern being used to light a game of monopoly, even though the house is lit with electric lights. This, of course, was to make a loud noise and put the family at risk. The father looks out the windows, which are uncovered - yeah no shutters or coverings. Something is on the roof - and growling. A little jump scare as a pair of raccoons drop down and - ah - sigh of relief. Just a little later we see one of the raccoons disappear in a bloody splat.
Still later on, the mom - now many months pregnant (so you know a birth with a crying baby is coming sometime in this film) - is carrying a load of supplies up from the basement, and the bag gets snagged on the stairs. Now, most people when something gets snagged they back up to try and find what it's snagged on. Not mom, she pulls and tugs until the bag is free. But - oh no - a nail has been bent straight up on the stairs. And everyone walks in bare feet. What will possibly happen?!
At this point I was done with the story of the movie and fast-forwarded to the end where - miraculously - the baby has been born, the creatures are now in the house hunting them, and the stupid blood covered nail hasn't been bent down so someone else doesn't step on it. Anyhow, the deaf child turns on a hearing device and the feedback causes the creature all kinds of pain - to the point where it opens its armor up and mom shoots it in the face, killing it.
Ugh. I haven't seen something this lamely written since Signs. Give it some effort, guys. Take a writing course.