The average noise level in New York City is 90 decibels. How loud is that you ask? In comparison, 90 decibels is the level of noise made by hairdryers, blenders, power tools, etc. Pretty loud if you think about it. How long could you stay in those surroundings before you started doing permanent damage to your hearing? On average, 4 hours per day. However, what would happen if all that noise had to suddenly stop? What would happen to a place some consider to be the greatest city on earth? We are all about to find out when A Quiet Place: Day One hits theaters this week.
Six years ago the world met the Abbott Family who lived on a farm in Upstate New York. Since their oldest child was deaf, they were able to communicate through sign language. They had adapted their home to not make sounds since the world had been attacked by alien creatures who honed in on noise and attacked anyone nearby. Two years later A Quiet Place Part II premiered and took audiences back to the beginning when the aliens crashed into Earth and began terrorizing the world. From there it fast forwards to the present day as Evelyn Abbott tries to find shelter and safety for herself and her three children. Unexpectedly, they find other survivors and join a community living on an island, as it is discovered that the creatures can't survive in water.
This latest installment of the franchise once again focuses on the day the creatures came to Earth but from a different perspective. Samira (Lupita Nyong'o; 12 Years A Slave) is a resident of a hospice facility in the suburbs outside Manhattan as she is dying from cancer. When the facility nurse, Reuben (Alex Wolff; Hereditary) convinces Samira to take a trip into Manhattan with other members of the facility, she is reluctant to go but relents with the promise of authentic NYC pizza. However, before she can get her slice of heaven, the hospice residents are ushered back onto the bus as there has been an incident in the City and Reuben is told to bring everyone back.
Once on the bus, everyone around them is attacked and, after running through dirt and ash, Samira loses consciousness only to wake up inside a nearby theater. There she finds Reuben and others sitting as still and silent as possible, as it has become apparent the creatures are attracted to noise. The next day, Samira leaves the theater to walk back to her home in Harlem and is followed by a law school student named Eric (Joseph Quinn; Stranger Things). The two decide to travel together, visiting the pizza place near where Samira grew up and the club where her father played piano. Eventually, Samira realizes she needs to help Eric get to the evacuated boat before she succumbs to the cancer.
While the terrifying creatures lay the foundation in all three films, A Quiet Place: Day One is fairly different from the first two films. If anything, it is more "A Quiet Place Adjacent" than a continuation of its predecessors. This third installment has the essence of the first two but has a unique feel to it. First, it takes place in a huge city as opposed to a quiet, country, farming town. Second, there is no family to root for but individuals who aren't necessarily connected to anyone else.
The special effects are very well done, as the creatures have a higher level of layers and definition than in the first two movies. There also seems to be a more fleshed-out story with each character personally struggling with something in their life. Nyong'o is terrific and reminds us why she has already won an Oscar and Quinn is a good compliment and scene partner. He may overact occasionally, especially during his panic attacks but overall the two are a solid team.
As a standalone movie, it is very good with a few jump scares and an interesting plot. As the third movie in a franchise, it brings something new and fresh to the series but it also makes you wonder how many times we can watch the deafening silence over and over again before the concept is no longer interesting.
Grade: B
