John Krasinski introduced the world to A Quiet Place in 2018 and the new franchise has been hitting the mark ever since. For now, the story of the Abbott family is over. A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel that starts with where this all began in the first place – New York City. This time, Lupita Nyong’o is the lead and it documents her struggling to survive the massive alien invasion.
A Quiet Place: Day One will expand the scope of the series and introduce a set of compelling new characters to the franchise. In addition to the Oscar winner, Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou will join the actress. Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Oppenheimer) and Joseph Quinn VIII (Overlord, Kin) are also confirmed in the cast. A Quiet Place: Day One is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 28, 2024. Here are the top five moments of the latest trailers.
Alien Invasion
The juxtaposition between the first two films and New York City was perfect. Given the location, it’s an inspired choice to have the film take place in New York City as that’s not a place known for being quiet. It would be great to explore the contrast in the environment and how the protagonist will navigate a world that’s opposite of the original location of the first two films.
Of course, the alien invasion aspect is the attention grabber here. It’ll be interesting to see how they approach the origins of these aliens, but hopefully, there’s not much exploration about these strange creatures. What made these monsters so terrifying in the original was that they were unknown entities. That means their wants, desires, and weaknesses were a mystery, which helped keep the tension and unpredictability factor high because we knew so little about these aliens.
Though we know their strengths and weaknesses at this point, there’s still a fun aura about them that the prequel can take advantage of. We don’t need to know the backstory of where these creatures came from and thankfully, the focus seems to be more of Lupita Nyong’o’s point of view more than anything. A strong opening nevertheless accomplishes several goals of what the feature will be and leaves off some interesting questions.
Chaos In New York City
Another interesting tidbit is that the prequel opens the scope of the series. The first two films felt small-scale, so it was more of an intimate setting that allowed us to focus more on the characters and their worldview. With the prequel giving attention to a wider scale, the rules change, and following how these New Yorkers will be able to adapt to such a threat should make for a compelling watch. Hopefully, the filmmakers don’t forget the original premise and take full advantage of it.
That was really what made the franchise stand out in a good way. The prequel seems to be going in a more blockbuster route, which could turn a promising film into another generic alien action/sci-fi trope. Nevertheless watching the barrage of New Yorkers in the trailer was an instant tension-filled dread with the best moment being the man begging for Lupita Nyong’o’s help seconds before he’s dragged away. This scene manages to capture the brisk action effectively, but still, the scares are amplified.
Blood On The Walls
On the surface, this seems like a shot of the bloody carnage caused by the aliens, but could this be something deeper? This is an origin story on where this all began, so it could be possible that some experiments took place that aided in the development of these creatures. Granted, given the open of asteroids landing in New York City, these are aliens from outer space, but there can be some explanation that ties into the origins of these murderous beasts. This moment isn’t flashy like the rest of the trailer, but it’s the quieter scenes that help advance the story and add dimension to this colorful world.
A Fiery Bridge Collapses
There’s no word on the exact budget for Day One, though it won’t be surprising if it was around $100 million since this trailer is so action packed. The action in the film looks smooth and fantastic, and it’s a nice counterpoint to the two previous films before it. To see the infamous bridge in New York City collapse was a breathtaking moment that sent shivers down your spine. The trailer does a superb job of capturing the mass panic and terror that’s happening on Day One.
Djimon Hounsou Introduction
We’ve been following the chaos through the eyes of Lupita Nyong’o’s character, so it was nice to see another notable name highlighted in the upcoming prequel. Lupita Nyong’o and Djimon Hounsou are tremendous actors and it’ll be a treat to see how their characters differentiate from the protagonists of the first two films. What made this franchise so great wasn’t just the alien invasion, but it spent time developing grounded and captivating characters that audiences connected with. This film has the talent that can hold up their end on the acting front, so hopefully the script does them justice.
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