87% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 249 reviews)
Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Elaine Umuhire
From: Paramount/Platinum Dunes
Is New York pizza really that good?
If I was the type to do one line reviews, I'd end it there and sit by as dozens upon dozens of likes roll in. As that is not my style, I'll instead note that for the few who haven't viewed it yet but want to in the future... wait until the end before you judge any plot points that seem rather daffy at first. As I saw the first two Quiet Places movies on the big screen & enjoyed them both, eventually I had to check out Day One despite the frostier reception it's received.
To be frank, the chronicle of terminally ill hospice resident Lupita Nyong'o's Sam did not enthrall me as much as following the Abbott family in the first two movies. Be that as it may, that does not mean I thought the movie was bad or that I wasn't interested. Some criticism seen off of Letterboxd said that the film was “predictable” and “boring.” It does not do much to expand the lore of the aliens or show the damage they caused around the world.
Admittedly, it wasn't the most original tale, but there was no complaint with this being a character study where we see Sam pessimistic at first (understandable; remembering my late mother in hospice 4 years ago... understandable) but things change as she attempts to deal with what seemed like the end of the world, while meeting some people and her one true friend by her side: feline Frodo. Whether or not the cat survives: if it's a deal-breaker for you, the Does the Dog Die website will be useful. It has a staggering amount of triggers for anyone that may become upset by something that could be viewed as “mundane” by the general public.
It may not be what some were hoping or expecting to get—this is not an action extravaganza full of carnage & a surplus of characters. However, director Michael Sarnoski does a nice job with the-ahem-quiet moments along w/ the scary moments involving the alien invaders. I haven't seen his movie Pig but one day I should. There is some striking imagery, especially when the invasion began; utter chaos whose echoes of 9/11 likely weren't be happenstance. Thankfully I did care about both Lupita and Joseph Quinn—who only hours after I arrived home learned was Eddie in the 4th season of Stranger Things that I never saw because the third season was so atrocious but I knew what Eddie looked like...
Anyhow, with any luck there wasn't an overshare of information on my part which will convince someone (or not) to give this a shot in the future. Considering how I feel about much modern horror-especially the hyped entries-it is a relief that there's an entertaining trilogy which has some chills & thrills without becoming pretentious or insufferable.
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