Shh!
Be vewy vewy quiet, 3.5 readers. It’s time for BQB’s review of “A Quiet Place.”
I love it when I’m pleasantly surprised. I knew very little of this film going into it. I thought maybe it was just a standard horror flick that husband/wife duo John Krakinski and Emily Blunt whipped out but it’s anything but standard. In fact, in this day of sequels, prequels and originals, you’ll want to scream for joy at this original idea.
But don’t. Don’t make a sound. You see, the world has been conquered by mysterious, scary creatures who, if you make a noise, will pop out of nowhere and eat you. The population has been decimated and survivors live very quiet lives. They make a modest amount of noise by walking around but other than that, no talking, no singing, no music and the slightest accident, i.e. knocking a plate onto the floor, can prove fatal.
There are exceptions to the “Be Quiet” rule. There are places, circumstances, etc. where talking can happen but for the most part, the characters rely on sign language, subtitles and facial expressions to tell the story. It’s impressive that the actors are able to get so much across by utilizing so little. From a writing standpoint, it’s an exercise in “show, don’t tell” because all the characters can do is show. They can’t tell.
Challenges abound. Not to get too deep into it but daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is deaf and lives in a world where there isn’t a place that will fix her broken hearing aid. Just as in zombie apocalypse times, empty shops and ghost towns abound, and the Abbott family must get by through their wits and occasional scavenging.
Further, they engage in a variety of clever ways to go about their daily routine, figuring out how to get through their days as quietly as possible (an expected baby poses a significant challenge as we all know what babies love to do.)
STATUS: An unexpected gem. Shelfworthy.
Bookshelf Battle 