'A Quiet Place: Day One' Is a Worthy Prequel

“A Quiet Place: Day One” is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski based on a story that he developed with John Krasinski, the director of the first two films in the series. It is a prequel that establishes what happened in New York City on the day the aliens invaded.

In the movie, Lupita Nyong’o plays Samira, a terminally ill patient who goes on a field trip to the Big Apple from the hospice center she has been residing at while waiting for the end to come. All she wants when she gets to the city is a slice of pizza when the blind yet super hearing creatures violently land on Earth.

For monsters that hunt by sound, NYC is a giant buffet filled with every sound imaginable. Samira still wants her slice of pizza, though, and goes in the opposite direction of everyone else who is trying to make it to the boats after it is discovered that the aliens cannot swim.

Along the way, her cat Frodo stumbles upon Eric (Joseph Quinn), a young man who is also prone to panic attacks. Eventually, he decides to stay with Samira in an attempt to help her get that slice of pizza and maybe along the way, he’ll also find a new purpose in his life turned upside down.

Eric and Samira must remain quiet in 'A Quiet Place: Day One'!

Now, I know that the idea of Samira wanting a slice of pizza may sound absurd, but she’s a woman with not a lot of time to live and the world is falling apart around her. The slice of pizza is not just a slice, it’s metaphorical of a woman who also wants to have just one slice of her former life back before the end.

As we go along in the movie, we learn more about Samira through Eric and vice versa. Quinn and Nyong’o are great as Samira and Eric and their performances help make the overall film work. It was the character work in the first two movies that helped those films win and it is no different in this movie.

Another thing that makes the film work is that there are enough genuinely intense moments when Samira and Eric have to avoid the alien creatures. It doesn’t help them that damn near everything in the city can be a potential noise death trap. However, it may also be an advantage in certain situations such as using a car alarm to distract the crazy monsters.

The creatures are on the hunt in 'A Quiet Place: Day One'.

Now, I will admit one thing. I don’t know if this movie was necessary to the overall series. You don’t necessarily learn anything new about the alien invasion that you didn’t see in the cold open of “A Quiet Place Part II” which also took place on day one.

While it is interesting to see how the aliens functioned in a bigger city and that there were creatures than we’ve ever seen before is interesting. Beyond that, though, the movie also quickly falls back onto the main plot device of these movies which is to remain quiet as best as you can while trying to avoid the monsters.

Still, just because it doesn’t deviate too far from the formula of the series doesn’t mean that it isn’t a worthy entry into the series. With the movie following new characters instead of younger versions of characters we’ve met before, the movie didn’t suffer from the problems of being a prequel as I did fear for what would happen to Samira, Eric, and other characters they encountered along the way.

Thankfully, this movie proved that there is still some life in this series. As mentioned above, it may not be a necessary film, but it is an entertaining one with two solid leads and some intense moments to go along with the character driven story at its center.