A family beset by personal tragedy and the inability to verbally communicate or make a sound try to survive another day in a post-apocalyptic America ruled over by violent creatures with advanced auditory abilities. A QUIET PLACE brilliantly dares its viewing audience to shut the hell up and experience unbridled terror in a nice controlled movie theater. John Krasinski does a quite masterful job in his directorial debut in weaving together intense existential dread and palpable tension. Having a great cinematographer in the form of Charlotte Bruus Christensen also helps, particularly during the early sections of the film where we experience the strict ins and outs the family must go through to live "normally". However, though it achieves in keeping you on your toes with its high suspense factor, the film's script can only go so far. The story is frankly just a lost Twilight Zone script, one that was probably buried beneath Rod Sterling's cigarette stash, stretched out to fit a 95 minute running time. Despite the best efforts of the cast, especially Emily Blunt, the characters sadly don't much real depth to them beyond generic family woes and guilts. Also not helping matters is their inability to easily figure more deadly tools to combat the rampaging menace and their very slow response once they do land in their lap. Nevertheless, the script does a good enough job to tide you over and offers up a few pitch black ideas, most notably how the small clan have planned for the arrival of a newborn. You may wish to see it by yourself in the comfort of your own darkened home but this thrilling horror flick is quite amazing to see in a proper movie theater, both for the enclosed atmosphere and its unique ability to create a public shaming to all of the talkative teens, iPhone checkers, candy rippers and loud popcorn eaters plaguing the audience.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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