A Quiet Place (2018)

Originally reviewed on 10/29/22.

A Quiet Place's poster, a woman lays in a bathtub and looks at an ominous shadow on the wall.

First off, thanks for actually showing the monster. I feel like the whole "Your imagination will make something scarier" thing is just a ploy so studios can spend less on special effects.

Some of the moments in this movie are very cheap. A movie that's super quiet until a blaring jumpscare assaults your ears. Yeah, that's never been done before. And then other things like foot trauma, childbirth at the worst possible moment, and endlessly stupid and thoughtless decisions from some of the characters. That fruit is hanging so slow that it's touching the floor.

Though some moments are very clever. It's weird, because some details are left just to implication for you to get yourself. Really nice and subtle things that you may not catch on your first watch, details that show a lot of love and care. And then they're shoving the camera into a whiteboard that clarifies that the monster is blind and hunts based on sound. In the middle of a room full of newspaper articles that state in the caps lock titles that you need to be quiet because they're attracted to noise.

Now, if I really wanted to nitpick, I'd point out that the aliens should be using echolocation. How are they running through forests without hitting their heads on trees? And if the growling is echolocation, wouldn't they be able to sense the people standing in front of them?

Despite my issues I still think this is a perfectly fine movie. I was never bored and I was invested in the story, even if my investment meant I cared a little too much about some things. If you like movies with aliens and monsters where said aliens and monsters are actually visible and get some good screentime, you'll love this!

...

That nail is still there, by the way... In case anyone cares at all... Should maybe pull that out, or... maybe put up a sign...

★☆☆☆☆