What Did You Think of “A Quiet Place”?

It’s exceptionally rare that I watch a scary movie. But after skipping Get Out in the theater last year and later regretting after I watched it at home, I decided not to make the same mistake twice.

A Quiet Place doesn’t really have anything to do with Get Out–they’re two completely different movies. But both have near-perfect ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, both have a twist on their core genre, and both have a compelling inspiration.

The twist in A Quiet Place (this is the entire hook of the movie–it’s not a spoiler unless you don’t want to know anything about it) is that the main characters are in incredible danger if they make a sound. And not just today–this is their entire life. If they make noise, they will die.

That, in itself, creates a really interesting platform to explore how the characters avoid making sounds. It’s also fascinating to see how director John Krasinski (Jim from The Office) incorporates the element of sound into the film. There’s hardly any dialogue, and there are extended scenes with only the faintest sound, not even any music. The theater was dead quiet.

In addition to that hook, the inspiration for the movie really drew me in. Krasinski made the movie because he was drawn to the idea of seeing how far a parent would go to protect their kids. That resonates with me, both as a son and a “father” to two cats. I’ve seen this done in some other movies (and The Walking Dead) where the approach is to make the parent heartless for anyone except for their kid. Krasinski takes a different approach due to the unique circumstances of the world A Quiet Place is set in, and I really love the little touches he added throughout.

Oh, and as an added bonus, I just learned that Krasinski cast a deaf actress as the daughter in the movie (who plays a deaf character). That’s awesome.

A testament to the impact of this movie is that hours after seeing it, I’m still acutely aware of how much noise I’m making as I walk around and even type this blog entry. What did you think of it?

9 thoughts on “What Did You Think of “A Quiet Place”?”

  1. I remember seeing the trailer last fall in theaters and being blown away by it… I’m very pleased by all the praise for the film. I’m definitely hoping to see it soon! You mentioned that you’re not a fan of the genre, but did you actually like it?

    Reply
    • Oh yes, I liked it quite a bit. I liked in the way that I like roller coasters–they really stress me out, but I gladly look back on the thrill and admire the execution.

      Reply
  2. I loved it! I’m not usually a fan of horror movies, but I thought it was really well done. The suspense was almost unbearable throughout the whole movie, but they still managed to incorporate some great character-building moments that made you care about the family. It was scary and sad and touching, and I thought all of the elements worked really well together.

    I wish my theater had been more quiet. There were people laughing at the end of the opening scene (???) and some verbal outbursts in addition to the usual coughing and sneezing. It wasn’t too bad, but the audience can definitely make or break this movie for sure. I’d just pick the time and place carefully and try to avoid big packs of teenagers.

    I noticed at the beginning that when they switched to the POV of the deaf daughter, any background sounds or ambient noise completely disappeared until it switched back to someone else. That was a nice little detail that got me even more excited for what was to come. Some plot choices made me raise an eyebrow, but I thought the movie was strong enough otherwise overlook them. 4.5/5 for me!

    Reply
    • Ugh, I’m sorry there was laughter in your theater (and other noise). I think that could have a huge impact on a movie like this.

      I didn’t notice that POV shift in sound/noise! Clever observation.

      Reply
  3. 10/10 for me. The sense of family and sacrifice really hit home. Ironically you compared it to Get Out as it is the best thriller I have seen since then and I would be hard pressed to pick which film I liked better. I am also glad for John & Emily as they get to share the success together.

    Reply
  4. Wow sounds really interesting! Editing must be great in that one.
    Have you seen the show the 3% on Netflix? It is brilliant! Like hunger games except it is smart. It’s about dystopian kids who have to go through tests. There’s a second season coming but it’s a huge spoiler if you haven’t seen the first season.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from jameystegmaier.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue Reading