A Quiet Place: Day One Review

Even though A Quiet Place: Day One is a monster movie, the two main characters & Frodo the cat are the highlights this emotional and heartwarming film.

What is A Quiet Place: Day One about?

Set in the same timeline as the Quiet Place franchise, the film follows Samira, also known as Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), who has been diagnosed with cancer. While on a group trip with her hospice hospital and her service cat, Frodo, blind alien creatures invade Earth. Even though they cannot see, they hunt with ultra-sensitive hearing. Along the way, she meets Eric (Joseph Quinn) and Henri (Djimon Hounsou) (from A Quiet Place II). They try to survive and get out of the city.

A Quiet Place: Day One Review

While not quite a prequel, the film is a spin off of the Quiet Place franchise. However, it does explain how the people on the island of A Quiet Place II got there. After a worker at the hospice hospital promises Sam pizza, she agrees to join the group on a day trip. Soon, chaos ensues when aliens suddenly appear. Instead of laying low with everyone else in the group, Sam decides to go Patsy’s Pizza. Despite the danger, Sam persists on getting pizza. Later, we discover that Sam has only a few days to live and she wants to relive the memories of her childhood. Amidst the destruction around her, she carries on. So close to death, she wants her last meal to be one shared with her dad when she was a child. It’s a very compelling and emotional story.

Another highlight of the film, is Frodo. While cats normally meow when they want something or to tell us when something’s wrong, he’s surprisingly quiet. The only noise he makes throughout the entire movie is when he brushes up against a bell. On the other hand, he runs away a lot. During one of those instances, Frodo meets Eric. As Eric emerges from the waters of the subway, he sees Frodo blankly staring at him.

Seeing him as a guardian angel, he follows Frodo to Sam. Sam wants nothing to do him and tries her best to get rid of him. But with no where else to go he persists. After learning that she may only have a few days to live, Eric decides to help her. The compassion he shows her is heartwarming. It’s a reminder that even though the world may end, there is always hope and faith in humanity. The scenes they share together are very emotional and heartfelt.

Even with all the emotion, there are quite a few tense scenes that will leave you holding your breath along with the characters. Like the other films, it executed exceptionally well. Overall, the acting and direction were impressive, creating a dramatic tone rather than a typical monster movie.

However, there are a few drawbacks. Previous films have established that the aliens fear water and cannot swim. So it didn’t really make sense when an alien jumps into the water to catch Sam and Eric. Also, during this same scene, Eric seems to have a panic attack as he’s going under water. Earlier in the film, he swam his way from under the subway and he didn’t seem scared them. Additionally, most people who are afraid of the water can’t swim.

Despite that, it’s a very emotional and heartfelt movie that sometimes can move you to tears. The action scenes are quite intense and Frodo is a welcome addition and Lupita does an excellent job of carrying the film. The ending is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Whether you are a fan of the franchise or not, you’ll enjoy watching this film.

Currently, the film is in theaters. The digital release date remains unset. However, you can pre-order the movie on Prime Video. In the meantime, use the Quiet Place generator to create your own Day One story for TikTok, Facebook or Instagram.