A Quiet Place

I'd been excited to see this, for quite some time, after reading the reviews and hearing it talked about. This was a serious let down. Its a narrative driven by bad decisions, and a lack of critical thinking on the part of every character involved in the film. Couple this with an absurd 'M. Night Shamalan' style ending, and you have what could have been a fun, yet terrifying horror concept, that is just bad. ** No complaints about any of the actors, its just a poorly conceived and developed story, with too many holes, and not enough intelligence.

I never expected a John Krasinski-driven PG-13 film to have me on the edge of my seat from the first scene. The simple premise, strong storytelling, engaging characters and masterful execution combine to make one of the best thrillers I've seen in years. In contrast to the deluge of apocalyptic movies in recent years, this one steers clear of zombies or governments hanging by a thread to focus on the simple premise of one family struggling to survive in an impossible world. Krasinski demonstrates up front that he's not afraid to push boundaries in a way that makes you immediately relate to the characters on screen and, all too often, forget to breathe. Outstanding and original.

Honestly, I don't get all the glowing reviews. I understand a film like this requires some suspension of belief, but man oh man, is some of it stupid. Like, in a post-apocalyptic world where the cities are deserted and survivors communicate with fires on top of towers, how they have enough electricity to power the whole house. Or how, just three months after a family tragedy, in this same post-apocalyptic world, the couple feels good enough to have sex and get pregnant, knowing they'll be bringing a kid into a world where it can't make any noise ('cause we all know babies don't know make any noise). Or how kids sink into corn in a silo like it was quicksand - until they don't. But the worst part is the ending, where the thing that finally wins the day, after the monsters wipe out most of the planet, is the same thing any red blooded American would have done first. I've rarely been so disappointed.