You've Probably Noticed all these years, But I'm not very good with Horror.
Hell, Even During Halloween, Where Reviewing Horror is a Given, I tend to veer towards Fantasy than Horror, and even then, the horror films tend to get on the comedic side, Deliberately or Unintentionally due to the lack of quality.
Not that it ever worked Completely in my favour, "Bed of the Dead" despite being Generally Gruesome to watch, was only picked because it's Ridiculous premise of a bed killing those who tried to leave it.
So here we are with a Legitimate Horror Film In June, no less. The Prequel to one of the Most Recent Horror Franchises that has done well: A Quiet Place.
So I want to get into A Quiet Place As A Franchise, So What Better Way Do I Start than the prequel of the others: Day One!
For those Who Don't know, The Premise of A Quiet Place Is That Earth is Invaded by Blind, but Feral Beast like Aliens with Ultra Sensitive Hearing. The Slightest Sound will Cause a Swarm of Flesh Coloured Creatures with Scythe-like Claws and Voracious Hunger to hunt that target, be it someone who gasps suddenly,
Or a stupid Child with a Toy Rocket Ship!
So Humanity's Survivors have become Nomadic, forming smaller communities to reduce their sound and using Sign Language to communicate. The lack of Dialogue and The Activity of the Aliens increasing at night, ratchets up the scares, of the very little I've watched of the series.
So let's Dig into the new Jump-off point for this series, with the prequel to a Quiet Place: Day One
The Cover Shows us a World Gone To Hell, As Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn Run for their lifes, as Creatures Fall from Surrounding Buildings onto the Glass ceiling above them, shattering off shards onto our frightened heroes. The Largest Skyscraper behind them, leads the eye to a Sky filled with Smoke and Fiery Jet trails Descending at an Angle, but what are they? An Invasion force, an Attempt by the Army to fight back? Or Aeroplanes making their last Doomed Voyage?
THE FOLLOWING FILM IS RATED 15 FOR HORROR, BLOOD, INJURY DETAIL, DEATH, TERMINAL ILLNESS, AND THE FEASTING OF CORPSES. DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
The film opens on New York City, which a caption tells us it's bustling life gives off a Decibel Level of 50. That's the same as a Constant Scream for 18 hours.
Yeah, Because of all the Pushy Nu Yahkahs!
"WADDAYASAY ABOUT NU YAHK? WHEN I HIT YA WIF THIS SPORTS PAGES YER CRIES WILL BE HIGHER THAN FIDDY DECIBELS, YA BUM!" |
We cut to Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) in a Cancer Support Home, it's group therapy time for the patients. But the Terminally Ill Poet makes no bones about it that she hates her life right now. She could die at anytime so the group telling her to keep positive is not what she needs. All she wants right now is her cat Frodo, her last slice of Real New York Pizza and to be left alone to die.
So Samira doesn't Appreciate Nurse Ruben not bringing her for Pizza, but the whole group to, of all things, a Puppet Theatre. Made worse by children coming up to Pet her Support Cat and parents making a bigger deal of her condition than she can tolerate.
The Puppet Show is both Filmed Well (a Shocker For Boom Boom Michael Bay!) And Disheartening. As a Marionette of a young Boy blows a Balloon, as children watch in awe, the balloon, once full, gives the illusion of a child floating away with no limits, until the balloon bursts and the Puppet falls, crashing back to Earth.
Naturally, A cancer Patient being Shown That, Causes her to Bail out all upset. As she buys some chocolate at a Bodega, she notices the noisy Midtown is noisier than usual. Nurse Ruben is ordered by phone to return the group back to the hospital. But Samira is too Stubborn to leave without her Pizza, but reluctantly, she gets back on the bus, but is shocked to see the other patients congregate to the back of the bus to look at something out the window.
Samira joins them and can't believe what she sees. In the mid afternoon sky are hundreds of shooting stars, One of them makes impact just feet away.
Samira Regains her Consciousness, her bus and Street covered in Dust, with her ears still ringing, she finds a Man's Body, torn by the Explosion's Shockwave, Dead where he Stands! With Sound and Vision Failing her, Samira Stumbles to find help, all the While Eerie Sounds can be Heard.
Every time Samira finds, or is found by Someone, they are Dragged to be eaten, and when an Ambulance speeds in with Alarms blaring, it's blown up, the Explosion causes Samira to lose consciousness once more-The Screen Fades to Black, and we get Title Drop.
We see Samira's Face Covered in Dirt and ash inside a Building, she wakes with a cough and a Splutter, Until a hand covers her mouth. It's the father of the boy who petted her cat. (Apparently the credits name him as Henry, played by Djimon Honsou) In fact, she has woken up in what's left of the Theatre, with Dozens of Survivors, including Nurse Ruben, Who hugs Samira and gives Frodo back.
The Sound of a helicopter frightens the little kitten as Samira runs to get him back. Breaking glass underfoot which alerts....Something!
In Bursts the Most disfigured creature in a film ever- mottled, Necrotic Flesh supported by four Spider like legs, that each end with a cloven foot with a sickle like claw protruding under knees and elbows, and an eyeless face with a horizontal mandibles of an insect, that opens like a flower to reveal a crown of bony petals. And a larger gaping maw! But the creature is frightened by the helicopter, which draws the ire of the alien.
In the next Attempt to find her cat, she finds a woman at a desk, listening to news reports on a Walkman, on the desk is a globe covered in stickers with the names of major cities, no doubt attacks like this. She and Hank escape to the rooftop and see the world is trapped in a war Zone, as fire trail the sky.
As the Survivors look on, the Fiery streaks are not more Aliens, but missiles from the Government to blow up the bridges to contain the Alien threat, Causing a Survivor to have a loud panic attack, Which causes Henry to punch him so hard, he dies from the blow.
Using a notebook to Communicate, Samira tells Ruben she's still going to Harlem, despite the Nurse's wishes. The Generator Splutters and Ruben gives his life to fix it as Samira Muffles a cry.
The Next morning on a Misty Street, Samira Explores what was a crowded street just 18 hours ago. Now it's just ruins and worse still, no bodies, just signs of struggle and stains of blood. Samira picks up all the food and Supplies she needs to get to Harlem for pizza and to die at home- A flashlight, batteries for it, enough food for one person and a cat, and a supply bag to carry it all. Though finding herself in Central park, she sees squirrels, which may be a food option, though if Samira struggles with opening a can in her condition, how is she suppose to hunt and k*ll animals?
As she follows the Squirrel with her eyes, she finds two Survivors hiding in a working fountain, a teenage boy and a girl no more than six. Samira gives the shaken young Survivors some chocolate and asks them to follow her. A helicopter blares over speakers to announce boats will bring Survivors to Quarantine Areas, As the Aliens can't swim or can't stand water, Something the Fountain Children figured out to have survived that long. The helicopters cause the Aliens to to converge on tall buildings, but one stalks the 3 Survivors who are now hiding in a subway entrance.
Soon all those holed up march toward the river, but Samira goes the opposite direction towards Harlem. The Jostling and marching feet of hundreds makes the crowd easy prey, not helped by some Idiots who just felt this was the right time to vandalise and steal cars!
Samira hiding under a car has her leg pulled by a man seeking help, as he is dragged off by an Alien, Samira is trapped further, Spraining her ankle. Frodo who was separated in the panic, is drinking from a submerged Subway entrance, there the cat sees Submerging from the water, a Man in a Suit (Quinn) Surprised by the cat staring at him, the Man in The Suit, Eric pulls himself onto Dry land to follow the cat back to it's master.
A Rainfall Causes Some Relief as the Aliens scatter. Samira tells Eric about the Boat, But not to follow her, but Eric is too scared to go Alone, So they Resort to as the rain becomes a Storm to pick up medicine at Samira's house. Timing Eric's kicks to her door to the lightning strikes, (Due to her keys no doubt held by Hank, whose body is God knows where!)
Eric is a British law student, so he has no reason to be here if he has no family in New York. Samira Still wants Pizza in Harlem, Something that makes Eric do a double take, given the Situation they find themselves in.
So we learn more of Samira, she was a professional Poet, So when Eric Reads a poem that explains what we already. As thunder and Lightning breaks out, the two Survivors finally have a chance to scream out in Fear!
Picking up some books from an Abandoned library, Eric comes to give her the notebook she left behind. Standing up Too quickly, the sickly woman uses a Book trolley to steady herself only for books to fall to the ground, causing books to fall to the ground, causing Aliens to hunt them down. Seeking shelter in a bank. The revolving doors get stuck as Eric struggles to push the panels, they find new shelter but they are not safe, Eric Vandalises a car to set off it's Alarm buying enough time to reach the Subway.
Searching under Flashlight, the exit by escalator is blocked by the biggest Alien yet. So once more Eric has to wade through the Submerged Tunnels. In the cold, waist high water, with Aliens Scanning their every move, Eric has a Panic attack, the Sound causes an Alien to Dive in, but while they can't swim, their Hunting Instinct makes them desperate enough to try to Adapt. With Frodo safely on Samira's Supply bag, the two drag themselves out of an impact crater into a church. Falling back into unconsciousness, Eric, Given where they are, Prays for Samira, until she coughs up water.
Feeling sorry for her, Eric decides to let the dying woman have her last wish than Mercy K*lling her or Straight up Abandonment. He asks what medicines she needs and he is given a fetch quest for solid which doesn't yield enough medicine but instead reveals the ground Zero of the invasion, which Is treated as a nest.
These Aliens are so cruel, they would Cannibalise the bodies of their own kind to feed. Eric Saves his own cat he followed to this place, Finding more Medicine for Samira.
It's not enough, but it doesn't matter when you're Terminal. Samira explains in whisper that the cancer is hereditary, from her father. So with the entire Borough of Harlem empty, Samira after all this time holding on for this moment, only for Her Pizza place to have burned down. The two Survivors hug in the middle of the street, Samira being upset with the continued state of her lot. So Eric brings her to an Abandoned Jazz Bar. With the help of a mp3 player and headphones, and Eric Finding a serviceable Pizza shop, bringing a pizza he found, even the cats take a slice to eat in a cute moment. Eric to entertain her gets up onto the Bar's Stage and with some Cards he finds from an unfinished Card game and mines being a Magician for an invisible audience, and he's pretty good at card tricks. He said in his introduction as he's only a law Student because "That's what They wanted" Maybe this is he meant!
Bringing her back to her apartment, Samira gives Eric her coat, after all she won't need it where she's going. But the army have increased it's visibility, now a fightback is happening. The Aliens in a silent world are now cocky, hunting in broad daylight. Surrounded and with Eric in total fear, Samira causes car alarms to go off in Attempt to make a boat turn and collect Eric. In his rush Eric knock over debris which puts him and the cats in harm's way, but jumping off the pier sees his chasers drown as he has a short swim to the boat.
And so the film ends with Eric reading his final message from Samira, as In flashback she is crying over family photos. So as she tells him to continue living, the last scene we see is Samira walking in the street with a radio and headphones listening to Nina Simone's greatest hits, until she pulls out the headphones, as an Alien lands behind her, drawn to the music, ready to play it's part in her Su****e.
THIS FILM IS GREAT!
Produced By Michael Bay, I was expecting this to be Fireworks out the Wazoo. However, he was Producing Not Directing, so while his fingerprints are all over this film, he doesn't have a stranglehold on it. Rather than carry out his proclivities, the crew and writers, kept the Franchise's use of Slow Scares and World Building. While other Reviews thought Samira was selfish, they completely missed the point of this film's themes of Freedom to live, ideals and Memory. This film is more than "World ends....let's get pizza!".
Lupita Nyong'o gives a stunning performance of the Dying Terminally Ill Poet, who just wants to live the last few days of her life, in a film that is both scary and life affirming. The Monster designs are terrifying, Helped by the speed of animation and use of shadows and Smoke Effects, we never see a stationary Alien to make out what it looks like, and that's both for the film's benefit and adds to the mystery of the creatures. One Bugbear it has is pretty Obvious: in a film based in a world where making a sound may doom us all, The Dialogue is nothing to write home about, there was a part Quinn just repeated the word "Okay!" Over and over, but given the premise, Minimal Dialogue and targeted Responses, works in it's Favour.
The Premise to turn the Zombie Survival Genre on it's head by not the heroes fight for Survival, but to die on her own Terms, Is nothing short of Genius! Given how bloated the Subgenre is. With How Selfish Samira may look and how very little Character Quinn was Given, It would have being a complete mess, But the Great Acting and Pacing Held True
So in Summary, A sharply written Subversion to an Overblown Genre, that's welcomed but tipping the scales at 70 minutes I wish it was longer!
CREDITS
A Quiet Place: Day One was Reviewed, compiled and edited by Eamonn Bermingham (@Realenli on x)
With Media from
A Quiet place
A Quiet Place Day one
The Simpsons
Meranghi's Darkplace
All Media used Belong to their respective Owners
A Quiet Place Day One is the Property of Paramount
All Rights Reserved.
NEXT MONTH ON BOGGER BOX OFFICE!
ONCE AGAIN YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Next month it's ROUND 2 Of the Public votes.
The 3 Runners up from The first poll-
Cassandra,
Infinity Pool
and Kinda Pregnant
Are Joined by a new Number 4.
Leave The World Behind
A couple who run a resort are Confronted by another couple who claim ownership of the hotel and threaten legal action. While in the background, a Robot Revolution slowly plays out in a parable about lies, malice and the loss of control.
The Poll On My Twitter Page will only last one week, But You can cast your votes here by adding a comment to this post below. The Most Votes will determine what get reviewed in July, But On the off chance, there are no votes, then Cassandra's first 4 episodes will be reviewed.