The movie’s title couldn’t be so apt to its screenplay and storyline. The movie gives a same feel that “Don’t Breathe” gave, except that AQP is a horror thriller set in the post-apocalyptic universe. For some time you pause to think if Karthik Subburaj’s Mercury has been inspired by A quiet place, but the talented youngster started this project well back. Well, A quiet place comes at a time when theatre and movie making needs to make some noise, but the film is bloody silent and eeire that you think twice before crunching that popcorn.
Just imagine a world where you are supposed to maintain pin drop silence? Dreadful, unimaginable. Even worse if the sound can invoke danger from all corners? In the very near future, a species of large, seemingly weird spider-like monsters appears and wipes out most of humanity. While the creatures are blind, their hearing is so keen that a shattering plate, the thump of boots, or any speech above a whisper could draw them. A few humans survive, including a nameless couple played by Krasinski and Emily Blunt. The pair retreats to a farmhouse with their son and daughter, and when they conceive another child, they begin making elaborate preparations for the high-impossible task of raising the baby.
The story takes place in a world that has been wasted by the appearance of mysterious beasts - nightmarish creatures with long, spidery limbs, which hunt using a membrane in their heads that gives them an incredibly acute awareness of sound. As the Abbott parents try to prepare for their new arrival, they must also train their older children to live in a world that is constantly trying to kill them - and do it all without making a sound. Needless to say, things don't go the easy way when it comes time for baby Abbott's arrival. Lets cut the curiosity of the plot here and not leave behind spoiler. Best to bite your nails without a sound and relish hard core viewing.
The amazing sound design does a lot of the work for him: The way the Abbotts sign to each other (translated through subtitles), which helps in not getting beaten, adds to the film's overall uneasiness nature. And when music is used, it's composed mostly of harsh piano melodies and haunting power chords. The central creatures, which are positively freaky, also audibly add to the mood — the sounds they emit while hunting are a combination of a Predator and a mini-Godzilla. It's best, however, to not think too hard about the rules of their behavior. They're uber-sensitive to the smallest bang in the Abbotts' basement, which the beasties can hear from seemingly miles away, but aren't ticked off by the very loud nearby waterfall.
The good part about the movie is that it does not spend quality time on why the society is kicked into this sorry state. No “I am legend” or deadly virus flashbacks, the director simply springs into the current scenario where a couple distances itself from acoustics and stand together as a family to live quietly. A movie without a sound has music on a eeire yet digestible note.
To sum up, A Quiet Place easily falls into the category of a must watch experience. This is a film where sound itself is a scare out of the seat, so it's definitely recommended you relish this one in a theater with the best sound system available.
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