The Hype is Real!! "A Quiet Place" is Fantastic!!

 
   From the moment I first laid eyes on the trailer for A Quiet Place, I was immediately hooked. This idea that silence is life-saving is really quite ironic when you consider the time in which we live, where the world is a constant buzz. So, once you grasp that idea, throw in a couple of monsters, and you've got yourself a fun time, am I right? Well, let me just shake off this loosy-goosy perspective, because I finally got to see A Quiet Place and it was riveting! Honestly, this film is one of the most original thrillers I've seen in a long time. It's heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat fun that hearkens back to an age where horror films were just as much about the quality of their stories as they were about their scares. Writer/director/actor John Krasinski has created a film that I want, more than ever, to become a sensational phenomenon, because it deserves to be.

   The premise is simple: a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound. That's basically it. Set in the not-so-distant future, this family (lead by real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) struggle to keep their children safe in a world where the littlest of sounds would spell your death. Yes, this is a horror movie, but I'm more inclined to think of this film as a thriller with horror elements. At the center of everything is the story about this family, these characters, and and your connection to them is what makes the scary stuff work. With little to no dialogue, their experience is illustrated through imagery and sound, and that's where some of the greatest beauty of this film is found. Unlike conventional horror films, there's no exposition given to explain this world away so that the rest of the run time can consist of jump scare after jump scare. No. Krasinski does what most filmmakers should do, and that's trust the audience to be smart enough to get the point of what's going on without being force-fed; show don't tell, and that's exactly what this movie does. Within this 'showing,' not only are you given just the right amount of information, but genuine emotion and tension is allowed to blossom organically without being bogged down by loads of wordy gobbledy-goop.

   The acting in this film is really, really good. Krasinski wears multiple hats with this film, and manages to balance them brilliantly. What he does with the camera is nothing short of genius, using the frame to tell the story without unnecessary fluff. With the lack of dialogue, the use of expression is our only source of connection. Now, that's not to say that there isn't ANY dialogue, most of the film showcases the family talking via sign language, but without the acting behind it, the signs and subtitles would simply fall flat. Krasinski is able to harness the same articulate craft used behind the camera to influence his acting, and he's really great in this film. His on-screen and off-screen wife Emily Blunt is a tried and true powerhouse of an actress, and she is outstanding. There's a particular scene, hinted at in the trailer, where she is essentially going into labor sitting in a bathtub and must do so silently because there's a creature near by. FREAKING INTENSE, MAN! That scene alone is one of the best acted scenes in a film this year for sure. As for the kids, they do an equally impressive job, especially stand-out Millicent Simmonds, who is deaf in real life and plays a deaf character in the film. Her performance is emotionally stunning as she goes through a roller coaster of emotions throughout the movie.

   The creature design and sound design are also really fantastic. I won't go into detail about the creatures, because you'll need to experience them yourselves, but they're some of the most originally designed creatures I've seen. In the film they are particularly attracted to sound, and their vicious reactions to those sounds makes your lack of silence practically fatal. They aren't overused in the film, and when they do appear the atmosphere takes on that added level of tension that left me gripping my armrests. Because this film is intricately connected with sound, the use of sound in the film is vital to the overall storytelling. There are moments when the narrative switches between character's perspectives, and the sound changes. For example, when it switches to the perspective of the deaf daughter, there's a heightened use of silence that, when mingled with scary situations, makes for a more dramatic experience.

   Overall, the hype surrounding this movie is real, people. I absolutely loved this film, and it's probably one of my favorites thus far this year. Yes, it's only April, but there has already been a host of great movies that have come out, and I would argue that A Quiet Place is one of the best. Not only is it an effective, original horror film, but it's just an overall fantastic film altogether. You become so invested with these characters, the environment that they live in, and the dangers that surround them. That investment lifts the narrative above simply being a conventional horror film. Go see this movie, I can't recommend it enough. If you're not a horror fan, go see it anyway, because I guarantee you that the quality of the film as a whole will leave you entertained despite the scary parts. Oh! I have to say, watching this movie in a packed theater was really interesting, because I don't remember the last time I saw a movie in theaters where the entire auditorium was completely silent for, I'd say 95% of the run time. Maybe I just got lucky and the place was full of rational people, or maybe the movie just demanded that level of attention. I'm inclined to think the latter. So, if you haven't gotten the picture yet, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! IT'S AWESOME!!