A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Review: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn and the Scene-Stealing Cat Elevate This Apocalyptic Horror With a Mix of Subtly Poignant Character-Driven Drama

After the first two A Quiet Place movies, I was looking forward to the third movie. Instead, Paramount chose to move backwards by giving us a prequel treatment. A spin-off prequel, to be exact that goes back to how it all started. A Quiet Place Part II already teases us with the partial prequel route during the thrilling prologue of the aliens terrorising the small town of Millbrook, New York. Making a prequel can be a dicey move, especially if the director has nothing concrete to add to justify its existence.

Thankfully, Michael Sarnoski, marking his major studio debut after his 2021’s well-received subversive revenge drama Pig, knows well what he’s doing here. What you saw in the trailers suggests this prequel might be a typical apocalyptic horror all big in action, suspense and creature effects galore. Well, it’s more than that. But first, here’s the story about A Quiet Place: Day One: The spin-off prequel follows Samira (Lupita Nyong’o), who has been longing for a slice of pizza upon returning to New York City. She’s a fragile woman with a service cat and a loyal companion named Frodo (played by Schnitzel and Nico) accompanying her wherever she goes. Arriving in the city on a bus, her anticipation of getting the pizza is abruptly cut short when a sudden, large-scale alien invasion terrorises the city.

But she somehow survives along with a few others including Reuben (Alex Wolff) and Henri (Djimon Hounsou). She first met the latter at a marionette theatre before the attack. They soon learn the aliens are extremely sensitive to sound and their chances for survival are to remain as quiet as possible. The story also introduces Eric (Joseph Quinn), a young man in a suit who arrives in New York from the U.K. He subsequently joins Samira and her cat as they navigate the now-ruined city on foot while trying to stay alive throughout their journey.

Sarnoski honours the apocalyptic horror tropes commonly seen in such a genre involving alien invasions. There’s the obligatory scene of the aliens attacking the city with the U.S. army trying to stop them and people scrambling in mass panic. Interestingly, he chose to zero in on Samira surrounded by all the ash-grey dust clouds, explosions and destruction rather than shooting them from a wider angle depicting the huge scope of the invasion.

And yet, it’s hard to shake off the feeling that John Krasinski did a better job showcasing the alien attack during the opening flashback scene in A Quiet Place: Part II. But kudos to the impressive sound effects which remains an integral part of this franchise since the first movie and it’s a blast watching this on IMAX. Sarnoski also deserves praise for staging a few thrilling set pieces, notably the scene in the dark confines of a flooded subway tunnel, where Samira along with her cat and Eric encounters an incoming alien.

I’m glad that Sarnoski doesn’t resort to selling out after transitioning from his indie roots to his first big-budget studio feature. Just like how he directed his subversive John Wick-style Pig three years ago, he has a knack for deconstructing an otherwise familiar genre by taking the road less travelled. This is especially true with Samira’s insistence on her quest to go to her favourite pizza place amid the end-of-the-world scenario. It may sound like a setup for a comedy but Sarnoski, who also wrote the screenplay, manages to turn her otherwise ludicrous journey into a surprisingly achingly bittersweet arc. He also incorporates the theme of mortality that subtly reflects her character’s seemingly ill-advised but understandable decision.

It further helps that Nyong’o brings a nuanced distinction to her apathetic role as Samira, making me care for her character throughout the movie. Is she going to make it? Will she get what she wants all this while? The fact that she manages to pull off such a character succeeded in Sarnoski’s bold attempt to break the stereotypes of a typical protagonist seen in this kind of genre.

A Quiet Place: Day One also benefits from an intimate, character-driven approach not only focusing on Samira but also Joseph Quinn’s Eric and yes, even Frodo the cat. Both Nyong’o and Quinn share good chemistry and the latter, best known for his iconic role as Eddie Munson in Netflix’s Stranger Things, delivers solid support as Eric. Now, this is something I didn’t expect a cat would steal the show in this movie but it does. It’s not just because the cat looks cute and cuddly. But also the way Sarnoski made this black-and-white feline such a pivotal part of the story and don’t be surprised to find yourself rooting for its survival.

I do wish Sarnoski could spend more time expanding the mythology of the aliens’ existence. Those who want to learn more about the sound-sensitive aliens might end up disappointed but overall, A Quiet Place: Day One remains an above-average effort that doesn’t slavishly stick to the formula.

By the way, if you are hoping for a mid-credits and/or post-credits teaser for the third instalment of A Quiet Place, can leave your seats once the end credits start rolling.