Ty Watches "A Quiet Place: Day One"

My wife and I went to see "A Quiet Place: Day One" last weekend. Our kids were staying with grandparents for an overnight visit, so we used that opportunity to go on a date. We went to a movie we wanted to see and had a nice, quiet dinner at home.

We saw the first two "Quiet Place" movies in the theaters as well. The original movie is incredible. It is truly unique. It has a totally different take on a post apocalyptic world. It was an interesting idea that really worked for me as a movie goer. I was all in on the sheer fact that John Krasinki was directing it, and the fact that it happened to work, that was an added bonus. The second installment I was a little cooler on. It is still a good movie, but it just didn't hold the same weight as the first one for me. I liked the idea of seeing the family move on now that the dad had died, but it was more of the same. I knew going in that the monsters attack based on sound, that they cannot see and that water is how you can somewhat defeat them. I was hoping for a little more from the deaf child, but I felt like they didn't push that narrative hard enough. That being said, I liked the whole idea of a town surviving in that world. I thought it was a cool concept. And, spoiler alert, to see how it all came crashing down was a devastating ending, but it was also well done and came across almost flawlessly.

Going into "Day One", I was both skeptical and excited. I was skeptical because we all know this story by now. If you have seen any of these movies, you know the jist. We get the nuance by now. We understand the rules. I was excited though because I wanted to see how this all started. I thought maybe we would get some kind of story telling us why and how the monsters came to Earth. And the fact that they were focusing this story solely in New York City, one of the loudest places on the planet, I was all in for them doing that. So, we got our popcorn and water, sat down in a very comfortable theater and sat back and watched.

We did not get a reason why the monsters attacked, but I was okay with that. I figure that if something like this happens, it will just happen. There doesn't need to be some bigger explanation as to why someone or something decides to attack. I assume with monsters like they have in these movies, they are just out for blood. And that is as acceptable a reason as I need. But, outside of that, this movie didn't really work for me. Lupita N'Yongo is fantastic. She is a damn fine actor and she more than pulled her weight here. But we already know how this all plays out. I wasn't as stoked on seeing the first day of this as I thought I would. When it happened in the movie I sat there and thought, okay, be quiet and get to water. I understand that the storytellers and actors have to do their job and pretend that they don't previously know all this stuff. But if you have seen any of these movies, just like I said above, we know the rules by now. I just didn't buy into the people and how they dealt with this horrific event like I did in the first movie. I already know what the monsters look like as well. And they look great in this movie, and we see them a ton, but the shock and awe wore off for me in the second installment. I didn't really buy any other actors' performances outside of NYong'o's. I wasn't as scared and jumpy as the previous movies made me.

I was talking to my wife and a friend of mine after seeing this movie and telling them that I think they have mined this idea for all it is worth. They can't really tell a new story at this point. They should have stopped after the first movie, but it was a surprise hit and the powers that be want all the money they can get. I get that, but what was once a really cool and different idea has become cliche and, for lack of a better word, boring. Monster movies shouldn't be boring. The monsters should make it exciting. And while I'm not fully on board with this movie, it is good, just not for me. The movie looks great, has one great performance and doesn't linger. But, I could figure out everything that was going to happen, and that is not something I'm always able to do.

Save yourself the time and just watch the first "Quiet Place". Or, if you're a completionist, watch "Day One" and only focus on Lupita N'yongo. She is the only good reason to see this movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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