“Hereditary” (2018) Film Review

Top 10 Movies of 2018 and Honourable Mentions.

“Halloween II” 2009 (Director’s Cut) Film Review

Horror Movie Month (Watch along with us)

October Horror Movie Month 🎃

“A Quiet Place” (2018) Film Review

When a modern film earns near universal praise, it always gives me pause; not because I want to hate a movie, but because you know that a film is almost never going to live up to those expectations.

So, with all these expectations, where “A Quiet Place” lands in the end is in the middle. The film is directed by John Krasinski and is his first foray into the horror genre. He shows a clear understanding of strong visuals and on-screen tension as effective tools in the genre. Where Krasinski falls short in the realm of horror is simply film logic. While certain plot holes and logic drops might get overlooked in a more action-oriented film that movies at a faster pace, this is not the case with “A Quiet Place.” In fairness to Krasinski, this may fall more at the feet of the other two writers on the project (who are often not mentioned as having contributed to the script), or at the feet of the king of schlock Michael Bay, whose company (Platinum Dunes) produced the film. But the issue remains: when you give audiences too much time to consider a film’s events, a minor plot convenience can become a gaping hole big enough to sink a film.

“A Quiet Place” is riddled with such holes and, while it doesn’t undermine the parts of the film which work, it does severely weaken those moments and, in turn, the film as a whole. Where the film does succeed is in its performances. Every actor in the film delivers an engaging and often believable performance. Krasinski himself and co-star/wife Emily Blunt share moments together which truly sell the film’s events to the audience in a way that many on screen couples often fail at.

The antagonists of the film (implied to be aliens) are intimidating in terms of their presence, but weak in other ways. Without spoiling too much (since the marketing of the film has gone out of its way to hide their design), they would appear unoriginal to anyone who has watched “Stranger Things” or has played a “Resident Evil” game – they’ve seen variations of this creature a million times. Perhaps it would have been more effective to hint at the creatures, rather than outright show them.

So while “A Quiet Place” isn’t quite the game changing modern classic it’s been made out to be, it is an entertaining horror film with broad appeal. This likely explains why it’s been so successful; much like “The Conjuring,” it’s a simple movie that pleases its audience – as long as they don’t think too much about it.

Cam.