After achieving runaway success with its first two films, the franchise A quiet corner broadens its horizons by offering this time a prequel recounting the early days of the alien invasion that ravaged the entire world. Without reinventing the wheel, this new offering brings its share of thrills and jolts.
As the title suggests, A Quiet Place: Day One therefore plunges the viewer into the chaos following the arrival on Earth of mysterious creatures who hunt humans by tracking their noises.
Forget the young family from the first two films of the saga who tried to survive by hiding silently in the forest. This time, the plot is set in the very noisy city of New York and revolves around the character of Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a young woman suffering from terminal cancer.
Even though her days have long been numbered (she has managed to defy the doctors’ predictions on several occasions already), Sam clings to life. While the inhabitants of Manhattan try to leave the island to escape these creatures that cannot swim, Sam will set herself the goal of going to eat one last slice of pizza at her favorite restaurant in Harlem, with her inseparable white cat and a new companion in misfortune (Joseph Quinn).
Gareth Gatrell – photo provided by Paramount Pictures
Luminous Lupita Nyong’o
Taking over from John Krasinki for the production of this third chapter, filmmaker Michael Sarnoski (Pig) brought his personal touch to the saga by infusing a note of melancholy into the film, thanks in particular to the touching and luminous performance of Lupita Nyong’o.
That said, the basic formula remains the same. Anxious climate, razor-sharp tension, spectacular action scenes: even if the action takes place this time in an urban setting, A quiet corner: Day 1 effectively takes up the ingredients that made the strength of the first two films.
Ultimately, despite a rather thin storyline and certain twists and turns that don’t hold up (we think in particular of this cat who always manages to find his mistress in the rubble of a devastated New York), this third part of the popular horror saga keeps its promises.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. A quiet corner: Day 1, a film by Michael Sarnoski with Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn and Djimon Hounsou.
