Film Review: A Quiet Place

By Stefani Edquilang 6/3/18

Boo! Greetings everyone and welcome to my very first blog post! 

As mentioned previously in my bio I am a huge horror/Halloween junkie! On top of that, I am a film lover and watch a lot of movies in my free time. However, I like to go past just watching these films. I take the time to look up reviews, analyze its themes, and do research on the people involved in these films. Some of my favorite movie critics on Youtube include Chris Stuckman and Beyond the Trailer. The genre of horror has always been looked down upon in Hollywood, I believe this has to do with many directors heavily relying on gore and jump scares. However, horror is so much more than that. True horror, true bone-chilling horror involves psychological distress and tension. Good movies, genuine movies highlight humanity and moral values. I believe horror has progressed within the last decade- with amazing movies such as Get Out, The Babadook, Black Swan, Split, Hereditary, Blair Witch Project, Cabin in the Woods, etc.. coming out and presenting a vast variety of frighteningly, unique conceptions. On the other hand, I would like to focus this blog post on the most recent horror movie that has just released: A Quiet Place. 

A Quiet Place known to be co-written and directed by The Office's John Krasinski, is a fantastic movie. Currently rated at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes this movie is a perfect balance of goosebump-raising horror and heart-touching family moments. John Krasinski uses this platform to show off his extensive knowledge of film, proving him to be a serious contender in the film industry and not just a supporting role in a comedy series. His wife Emily Blunt can add this movie in her repertoire of amazing performances. The chemistry between these two was definitely a strength in this film. Apart from this duo, the main star was the young child actress that played their daughter Millicent Simmonds. The actress is actually deaf in real life and this not only brought a more realistic aspect to the movie but presented an awareness and message of hope to other aspiring deaf actors/actresses. 

This movie highlighted the theme of family loyalty, love, and trust. It touched upon the extent to which a parent would sacrifice for their child. In regards to the dialogue, I found it very well-written and interesting. The location of this movie is gorgeous and scenes were filmed beautifully. The only critique I would have is that the movie's plot was not as unique as I had hoped. Without any spoilers, this movie is about a family that is forced to keep as quiet as possible or else they will be killed by alien creatures. This concept of the victim forced to keep quiet is presented in many other films such as Dead Silence or Don't Breathe and the concept of an alien killer is even more greatly utilized. In addition, it would have been more heart-wrenching if it focused more on the dynamics of the family and their psychology. In conclusion, I would give this movie an 85% as it is undoubtabely a well constructed movie but it is not as groundbreaking and thought-provoking as Get Out or Cabin in the Woods. I would not expect this movie to get any Academy nods next year but it does add to the list of strong horror movies released in this decade. 

In conclusion, if you have some free time on the weekend and wish to see a movie worth your money I highly suggest watching A Quiet Place. If you are a person that gets scared easily but wants to watch something with heart value this is the movie to see. Debatably a thriller instead of a horror, this movie is not something to make you pee in your pants with fright. As the director/co-writer John Krasinski has said the goal of this movie is not to make you scared out of your mind but to tug at your heartstrings and remind you to call your parents every now and then. Family over everything. 

That's all for now folks! Hope you enjoyed this one! See you in my next post! 

XO, Stefani