A Quiet Place

April 6, 20186 min

I know everyone does it, that moment when you are home alone and you hear a noise or two that doesn’t sound familiar, or possibly natural, that send you to a well-lit room behind a locked door. Or is that just me? I have never been one to be scared during a scary movie or have nightmares for that matter, but I have had moments at home that have made me more scared than any movie I have seen. The reason is simple, I have made up something in my head that feels more real than what I see on a screen and if you take that thought, that is how you make a scary movie that works. Someone who took that thought as well as hours of watching “Jaws” is John Krasinski and he delivers with” A Quiet Place”.

The people of the world are not the same as most of them seem to be hiding from something, the only thing we know about that something is that is forcing people to be very, very quiet. We know this as we watch Lee (John Krasinski) and his family scrounge through a grocery store while remaining dead silent. Lee is joined by his wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and his three kids Marcus (Noah Jupe), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Beau (Cade Woodward) who all communicate through sign language with one another. Everything they know is not enough to stop Beau from wanting to hear the sounds of a toy space ship, something that could cost him his life. Some four hundred days later, Lee and his family are still surviving on a farm where sand is used to damper the sound as they walk around the property. Evelyn is now pregnant and when an accident happens that breaks their silent living, Lee and his family must do whatever it takes to survive.

Earlier I said that Krasinski had been influenced by “Jaws”, something he has acknowledged in interviews, which I would consider an apt comparison. Not since “Jaws” do I recall sitting on the edge of my seat as much as I did with “A Quiet Place”. Krasinski not only stars, but also directs and co-wrote the script with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who together deliver a modern day thrilling classic. From the very beginning and until the heart-stopping end of its ninety minute runtime you have very little time to breath as you are invested in everything you hear and don’t see on the screen. Its Krasinski who takes the lead but its Blunt and Simmonds who get your attention with their perfect performances and who will have you cling your armrest or even your date throughout the second half of the film. The only way to see this one is in a theater with a ton of people who respect the movie as so much of it has little if at all sound in it. The community tension only enhances your own and adds to the total investment you will have in the characters and their actions. I was wowed by this film and the world it built both on and off the screen. So again, see this movie with as many people in a dark room as you can, because after you do you will thank me but maybe not like the silence as much as you did before.

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