A Quiet Place

Movie Name: A Quiet Place
Year of Release: 2018

Director: John Krasinski

Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward, Leon Russom
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis:

Following his previous directorial efforts, actor/director John Krasinksi is back, tackling a suspense/horror story. The film follows the story of a family on a farm. We learn that we're on day 89, from what appears to have been a pretty devastating and apocalyptic event. We soon find out, Earth has been invaded, and the creatures that have taken siege, are driven by noises, and attack upon it. This family has devised a way to consistently communicate using sign language. One of the children is sadly taken, but as the days move on, we soon discover the mother to be with child yet again. The father in the meantime has been devising a hearing aid for one of the children who was born with hearing disabilities. In one of their food gathering outings, they are attacked, something that sets in motion a series of events.
"A Quiet Place" is a film that marries a lot of influences from different films, most clearly Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" (aesthetically and in tone). The film is anchored by the interesting premise of a world dominated by silence, even if there are quite a few incongruous elements in the screenplay about that fact. It's a film that is more successful, the less it shows of the menacing creatures - the ability to conjure an environment of threat and menace is impeccable (and also a bit derivative of M. Night Shyamalan's work), but it's a film that falters whenever it has to push itself beyond the confinements of the family unit. Claustrophobic thrillers can be extremely successful precisely because they're anchored on confined spaces and circumstances, however, that also means the characters have to be built with some dimension, beyond the typical cliches. This film doesn't build much on that, but it retains the audience's attention through the suspenseful tone it has built. It's nonetheless a middling effort with a good performance from the always solid Emily Blunt.