A Quiet Place (2018)

[7]

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt star in this high-concept apocalyptic horror flick in which the human race has been decimated by creatures of unknown origin that have super-hearing abilities. And if they hear you, they kill you. So the few survivors left on Earth have figured out how to stay alive without making a sound. Krasinski and Blunt play the parents of three children — oops, make that two, after the opening sequence. But mom and dad waste no time in getting another bun cooking in the oven. A Quiet Place is largely built around everything that can and will go wrong when you’re about to give birth in a world where making noise will get you killed.

I like monster movies, so I mostly enjoyed this one. The whole cast do commendable jobs and Krasinski demonstrates skill as director of the piece. But it’s hard to set up an impossible scenario without deus-ex-machina coming in to ruin the whole thing. The movie strained my suspension of disbelief and wallowed in sentimentality more than I would have preferred. Between the newborn baby peril, parental sacrifice, and the sitcomy schmaltz of young children learning hard lessons, I felt like I was Hallmark’s bitch watching this movie. And it cashes in on those cheap and easy moments relentlessly in the third act. I was reminded of Gravity — both movies turn into crisis porn, and not in a way that sits well with me. Gravity got so ridiculous, I laughed outloud. This one didn’t go quite that far. So that’s good.

Share Button