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The third film in the A Quiet Place franchise is a prequel set in New York City the day the vicious alien monsters arrived. If you’ve seen the previous films, you know the deal: The monsters are blind, but they can hear a gnat fart from fifty feet away, so treading quietly is paramount. Instead of following characters from the last two films, Day One stars Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) as a dying cancer patient who’s visiting the city for the last time. She wants to visit an old jazz club where her father once performed, and have a slice of delicious pizza from the neighboring pizza parlor — an attempt to relive a cherished memory before her time comes. When the aliens attack, she’s the only character not trying to escape the city. Bitch wants pizza, damnit, and she’s gonna get it.
On her way to find pizza, Nyong’o is followed by a nervous young law student played by Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things). He’s in a state of shock and needs Nyong’o’s help to survive, so she delays her plans to help him get to safety. There’s a third traveler with them, too: Nyong’o’s cat, Frodo. And if you think it’s annoying when characters risk their lives to save beloved pets in horror movies, then you might as well scratch Day One off your ‘to see’ list, because Nyong’o and Quinn care more about this cat’s life than they do about their own.
As weird as the cat and pizza elements of the story may sound, they actually work. And what’s more, Nyong’o and Quinn do great jobs playing characters that say very little (for obvious plot reasons), but convey a lot emotionally. Day One isn’t the most original film, but the actors carry it over the finish line with their compelling performances. As a monster movie, Day One delivers adequate thrills, though it pales in comparison to A Quiet Place or A Quiet Place: Part II. Director Michael Sarnoski (Pig) seems more adept with character drama than visceral horror. The scary parts are the ones that feel the most derivative, while the intimate character moments are the ones that feel more fresh and engaging.
With Djimon Hounsou, Alex Wolff, and a good score by Alexis Grapsas.