'A Quiet Place' follows a family going about their lives after some creatures turned up that are attracted by the slightest sound... sometimes. The cold open features a kid dying, so I liked the film immediately. The daughter annoyed me though, and the parents were both a bit too unassertive and not forward thinking enough (the radio doesn't count, I'm talking just setting yourself up so that you can live in such a way as to not be in constant danger). Also they're not only Christians, but the sort of Christians that sit around and pray before eating, so, eh.
The film benefits from a highly limited cast and plenty of open-ended questions about the world and the creatures (I assume they're either alien or came from some subterranean area like those bat things in 'The Silence', which was a similar thing but shitter and with bat things).
There are one or two inconsistencies that bothered me, however. What's running all the electricity? a generator, right? You'd need one of those even if you were using solar or wind I'm pretty sure, and what about when bulbs die? That popping sound can be loud. Why did the mum get pregnant? It's been over a year since these creatures turned up, surely they all know that she's just committing suicide with that? I mean babies cry you know, and even if she gets lucky and it's stillborn, I doubt she'd be able to give birth without so much as a whimper. How come it's okay to listen to music and to the radio on headphones? At one point a hanging light creaks and none of them seem to care, why not? How come there are still birds around, and even raccoons?! Surely all large animals and most insects would be extinct by now?
I stopped noting inconsistencies about 20 minutes in, but basically the rules for what the creatures can and can't detect are vague and change constantly and it annoyed me. I realise I'm being very nit picky here but... HEY, why not just light a big fire? They'd all just run into it. Or, if they're not that dumb, set off a car alarm or something and then sit around a few metres away and shoot arrows at them while they're swarming the car? That could work.
I like the very limited use of music, and the heavy silence of all the shots from the deaf girl's point of view. The general quiet of the film obviously lends itself to jump scares very well, so if you're giving it your full attention it's likely to be effectively startling at times. Overall the tone of the film is great, and is complemented by the creature design and the performance of the actors.
Each round of danger does feel increasingly staged, though. All the characters are dumb enough to make mistakes and attract the creatures, but then are pretty great at getting out of the tight spots they keep finding themselves in. I was half expecting different characters to just keep spiking their feet on that nail, or getting clothing caught on it. I'd have loved it if the movie ended with one of the creatures stepping on it and freaking out.
Wait, why dont they just live by the fucking waterfall? Move to the beach!
A Quiet Place: 48.6