A Quiet Place: Day One - A Human Story Amidst the Alien Invasion

The latest installment in the A Quiet Place franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One, has finally arrived, and it’s a mixed bag. While it doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of the alien mythology, it does manage to tell a decent human story amidst the chaos.

A Quiet Place: Day One takes place in New York City

The film opens with a bird’s-eye view of New York City, a stark contrast to the quiet rural town of the first two films. This time around, we’re introduced to Samira (Lupita Nyong’o), a bitter young woman ravaged by cancer and living out her last days in a hospice. Her caregiver, Reuben (Alex Wolff), encourages her to come with him and the other patients into Manhattan to see a show, but they pick the wrong day.

“The sky is suddenly full of meteorites streaking down to Earth, carrying our hideous extraterrestrial pals from the first two films…”

As the city descends into chaos, Samira finds herself caught in an explosion and separated from her group. She stumbles out, covered in chalk-white dust, and watches in horror as people around her are picked off one by one. Another explosion sends her through a storefront, and she wakes up sometime later, back in the theater with other survivors.

Samira and her faithful cat, Frodo

Samira eventually leaves the theater, determined to get to Harlem for pizza at a place called Patsy’s. Along the way, she comes across a young Englishman named Eric (Joseph Quinn), who’s prone to panic attacks and doesn’t want to be alone. Sam grudgingly lets him accompany her, and their budding friendship becomes the highlight of the film.

The Cast

Lupita Nyong’o shines as Samira, bringing out pain, warmth, and humanity to her character. Joseph Quinn is equally empathetic and often humorous as Eric, a young man who’s totally lost and alone in a different way than Sam.

Final Thoughts

While A Quiet Place: Day One doesn’t advance the mythology of the franchise, it does succeed in putting some heart into what could have been a fully generic cash grab. The film’s quieter moments are what work best, providing brief moments of human empathy amidst the otherwise familiar mechanics of the alien invasion.

The alien invasion takes over New York City

In the end, A Quiet Place: Day One is a decent addition to the franchise, even if it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. With excellent sound design and decent mileage out of its sets, it’s a film that’s worth watching, especially for fans of the series.