A
movie review by Father Scott Archer
A Quiet Place opens in a small,
sleepy town on Day 89 of lives being changed by blind creatures who hunt by
sound; thus, the key to staying alive is silence. The story is about a family,
the Abbotts, who are living on a remote farm and are struggling to stay alive. The
father, Lee Abbott, is played by John Krasinski, who also directed and co-wrote
the screenplay. The mother, Evelyn Abbott, is played by Emily Blunt, the real-life
wife of Krasinski.
This
movie is so tightly directed that nothing seems unnecessary. I appreciated that
it begins after they have already adapted their lives to the new reality. The
audience accepts that something happened, there are creatures hunting them, and
this family is struggling to survive. It is unnecessary to know what happened
89 days prior or how the creatures got there. This is a story about lives
altered by horrific circumstances and the present danger they face. It also
deals with issues of grief and guilt. For the most part, it foregoes cheap jump
scares in favor of a suspenseful atmosphere of constant threat and intense
action.
A Quiet Place is one of the best
horror movies I have seen in many years. The acting is outstanding, even by
Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, who play the Abbott children. The movie was
filmed in Upstate New York, so it is also a gorgeous movie. I highly recommend
this smart, intense horror film.
