• When M. Night Shyamalan was a one-man phenomenon making The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000) and Signs (2002) many called him a Spielberg clone or acolyte. Twenty years later, it is hard to get through a review of John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place without mentioning Shyamalan. This is a horror/sci-fi with an ingenious twist. The Abbott family (played by Emily Blunt, Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Cade Woodward) live in a post apocalyptic world where the alien monsters have very sensitive hearing.
  • There are two time periods covered, a prologue (day 89) and the rest of the action which takes place starting roughly a year later (day 472).
  • Krasinski, as a director, has built a film that is both patient (he revels in the silence- there simply is not much spoken dialogue at all- sign language is often used instead) and yet much of the running time (and this is a tight 90 minutes) feels like a heart attack of a thriller. The last section of the film plays out like the portion of Jurassic Park where Lex and Tim are with Dr. Grant trying not to make a noise so the T-Rex can hear them (and that ensuing chase). There is almost no waste in A Quiet Place– a very economic thriller.
  • Krasinski’s shot choice preference includes in a fair amount of overhead and wide shots to give you a true feeling for the setting and space.
  • Great use of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” as the couple sways together- the scene reveals their relationship with no dialogue.
  • The actors wear the pain of loss and the restraint of not being able to speak (even when in distress or discomfort).
  • A wonderful shot overhead shot in the bathtub/birth scene.
  • Another excellent choice is the ending—Krasinski does not stay too long at his own party, he leaves on a high note as Blunt’s character racks the shotgun.
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2018