If they hear you, they hunt you.
Whether you live for the rush of terror only a horror film can provide, or like me you hide behind your hands every time it gets tense, this film is a definite must watch. What I think was most interesting about this film was how it played on the typical things we expect to hear in every film - voices and sound. This is a really different type of film to any other you'll watch in the cinema for a while, I can assure you of that. And that's what makes this film so special and rewarding, however does this make the film actually good? I'll get onto that!
Before watching this film I really wasn't sure about what it would be like, I heard lots of mixed reviews with some people saying they loved it and others saying they really didn't enjoy it. Here's my opinion, I really think the film was good but I feel that as it was completely new and really challenged the conventional elements we expect from a film, that this caused some people to dislike it. I think that this film really demonstrated the importance of non diegetic sound - the way in which background sound was used in this film honestly was great at portraying characters feelings, as well as what was going on at the time around them. A little known fact which I also liked about the film was how Millicent Simmonds - Regan Abbott in the film is actually deaf in real life, which I think really impacted on the films sense of character. May I point out I was really surprised to know that even though there was hardly any talking from any of the characters in the film I felt a good connection and understanding of them - a representation of the son Marcus wanting to be a leader like his father but also inquisitive about his life and that of the things around him. One particular scene that really hit home for me though was the encounter with the old man in the woods, he had seen a friend or family member attacked and killed by the mysterious aliens and the really dramatic build up and suspension where you really weren't sure what would happen. The quick changes of camera shots and angles from this scene was also really intriguing, it allowed us to engage with the characters by seeing their real emotions to the situation and how they really felt. The silence left everyone watching the film with me to be on the edge of their seats. And then we found out what happened and again, the use of quick music to support their getaway was also really well done. I really liked how this film didn't portray itself as a really scary movie but instead used plenty of jump scares which definitely kept the audiences attention on the film and certainly when we weren't expecting to see something jump out. The film also experimented with scaring the audience too, by using jumpscares of positive things like the family finding each other and getaways too this really allowed the film to play around with the audiences emotions.
"Everything in a film is there for a reason" and even though I hated every time a character went down the stairs I could understand why the sharp nail was kept there - to keep the audience waiting for someone else to step on it or for it to hurt someone else. And to be honest when Evelyn stood on it it was really disgusting and grim; assisted by gruesome audio of course. But I like how the nail kept the audience hoping everyone would avoid it and a sigh of relief whenever any character missed standing on it, from such a small thing created such tension and a massive impact on the film.
One of the standout parts of the film was John Krasinki's acting, I loved watching him humiliate and mock Dwight in the Office but it was really strange to see him in a much more serious role and wow, he really excelled here. To be honest I really hope this gives him the exposure to much bigger films because he made the audience terrified but minutes later upset when he chose to take his own life to save his children's at the end of the film. I was really satisfied with all of the acting and characters in the film too, and I really liked the development of the film to make the characters seem slightly relatable and to convey their emotions to us - the viewers of the film.
One thing these types of films really struggle with is scaring the audience and keeping a strong plot, this film did both of those for sure. Whether I'm a wimp or not ,'A quiet place' did a great job with scaring and keeping the audience on edge. The plot was also really strong too, even though at times it reminded me of the Walking Dead (which isn't bad - it's an amazing series) and vaguely of Stranger Things, I walked out of the cinema with no questions or misunderstandings where I usually think why did this happen or how did that or even why? I was really impressed with this film and I genuinely liked how the ending of the film relayed amazingly well for another film to link off this, very well played regardless of how annoying it was...!
Although no film is perfect, this film did have a few flaws too which I'd like to discuss. My main point was WHY DID THEY HAVE TO KEEP THE NAIL IN? Only kidding, that worked very well but I hated everytime they went down the stairs, honestly it didn't help my heart rate one bit!! Although in all seriousness, I was slightly disappointed at the length of the film, even though it was an hour and a half, the film felt like it was just too short and I really would've liked to have seen a bit more emphasis on the fight at the end too. Although I loved the time transitions going from different days. A film that feels short really is annoying because strangely even though I got lots from the film I was still left wanting a bit more from it or even for it to last a little bit longer, this was a bit of a let down. Especially as I liked the film too. I was also slightly let down by the explanation, even though there were plenty of hints around regarding what was attacking them and what to look out for, I still was left slightly unsure as to what had started this epidemic or as to what had happened to put the world in this situation really. And like I said at the start I feel that as this was one of the first films in recent times to really reject much dialogue that maybe, even though this was a really good step in the right direction for film, it was maybe a bit too much silence for some people so maybe a narrative at the start or just some speech in the film to give the audience a bit more of an understanding of the film would've really made the audiences and people who have watched the film more comfortable with it. Although I just feel that maybe this was too good for some people who didn't expect so much silence - as the name clearly suggests!
In summary I was really impressed with how John Krasinki set up what could be called 'auditory expectations.' By showing the audience objects such as a shotgun or an exposed nail in the floor or a timer in silence, this gave the audience a clear implication of what would happen although all whilst being subtle and not overplayed, like some films which I really liked. I think this was a great film and even though not many people I watched the film with enjoyed it, I felt a real rush and buzz leaving the cinema after watching it, a film that has that much of an impact is always on to a winner. However I stand by my opinion that there was a little bit less dialogue than some audiences would've liked and I feel that for others this may be why it has recieved mix reviews.
My rating of this film is 8/10, it was a great film and personally I really enjoyed it.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
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