A Quiet Place: Day One – Gnarly prequel is even more sombre than its predecessors

Few would describe the first two Quiet Place episodes as jolly entertainments. John Krasinski’s fine postapocalyptic flicks, imagining a world invaded by beasts that hunt by sound, annihilated the innocent with grim abandon. This gnarly prequel from Michael Sarnoski, director of Pig, is, if anything, even more sombre than those predecessors (successors?). Lupita Nyong’o stars as Sam, a young woman facing up to a terminal diagnosis in a shabby hospice. When the alien invasion hits Manhattan, she, with nothing left to lose, walks north while everyone else heads downtown for maritime evacuation. It’s a brave piece of writing that adds unexpected poignancy to a genre that too often deals in only smash-bang emotions. One wonders, nonetheless, whether that bleak hook may put off the potential audience for a midsummer studio diversion.

[ A Quiet Place: An almost silent horror masterpiece ]

[ A Quiet Place Part II: Four stars for Cillian Murphy’s ruthless new film – the ingenuity never falters ]

The story begins with Sam being persuaded to take a trip – possibly a last trip – into the city with a friendly nurse. While they are watching a puppet show (what a way to go), smoky streaks cross the sky and the audially fixated quadrupeds begin chewing up the good burghers of Manhattan. Sarnoski has fun playing with the relationship city dwellers have to background clatter. An opening title notes that the ambient noise in Manhattan is similar to that of a constant scream. The self-imposed silence following assault adds an extra level of an unease to film that, like Escape from New York two generations ago, enjoys making a wasteland of this endlessly cinematic city.

Those hoping for some fleshing-out of background (God help us) “lore” for the invasion will be in for a disappointment. There are, wisely, only a smattering of additions to our knowledge of the creatures’ anatomy and social habits. So efficient is the script that we don’t even get to see the invaded figuring out their enemies’ modus operandi. Sam comes to in a world already wedded to quiet.

The set pieces are well handled, but this prequel stands out most for its commitment to fleshy humanity. Nyong’o allows no mawkishness into her portrayal of someone watching the whole world catch up with her own mortal concerns. Joseph Quinn is sweet as an Englishman adrift. The standout performances may, however, be those by Schnitzel and Nico as Sam’s cat companion. Best sci-fi feline since Jones in Alien.