The first reactions to A Quiet Place: Day One are being shared on social media. The spinoff prequel film follows sees Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn) navigating New York City during the beginning of the alien invasion that continues throughout the rest of the Quiet Place franchise. The story was developed by the original film’s star and director, John Krasinski, alongside Michael Sarnoski, who also wrote the screenplay and directed this installment.

Critics who saw early screenings of A Quiet Place: Day One have shared their reactions, which were mostly positive, with many praising Nyong’o’s leading performance. Check out the reactions below:

Jake Hamilton emphasizes that the prequel is “Big, loud and scary monster carnage” compared to the quieter and more intimate nature of the previous films. Nevertheless, he notes that “Nyong’o gives a heartbreaking weight to her role — and the final shot will leave you BROKEN.”

Rachel Leishman is impressed by the story, its themes, and the performances, writing, “A Quiet Place: Day One is easily my favorite in this franchise. It’s human & raw & is a story about the desperation that exists when all hope is lost & how that turns into a deep connection with each other. Joseph Quinn, you movie star! Lupita Nyong’o has an Oscar for a REASON.”

@BrandonDavisBD admits that the film doesn’t meet all expectations, but is still a superb addition to the franchise, featuring many distinctive elements. He writes, “A Quiet Place: Day One is excellent. It didn’t have as much apocalypse-falling carnage as I’d hoped for but the human story told here is both terrifying and beautiful. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn are great. Nice new bits of lore, too. Plus, the cat is a star.”

Andrew J. Salazar sees the prequel as the franchise’s best entry yet, highlighting that “A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE might be my favorite of the series. The city setting brings new thrills and nail-biting suspense. But what truly sets this apart is Lupita Nyong’o and director Michael Sarnoski telling a poignant story about finding inner peace, even during the apocalypse.”

Matt Neglia is complimentary of the leading actors, but left underwhelmed by many of the film’s other features, stating, “However, much of the film feels like a retread with little expansion beyond what we already know from the previous two films.”

@BigGoldBelt praises the setting as one of the prequel’s best features, stating, “Even in chaos, #AQuietPlaceDayOne is an accurate representation of NYC through it’s perfect use of New York architecture and culture.”

Perri Nemiroff’s favorite part of A Quiet Place: Day One is how it is told through the lens of a different, but equally satisfying horror subgenre, explaining, “I loved the first two films, their sky-high tension and their more contained settings, but I also love an epic big city disaster film. Day One delivers that while making the most of the franchise’s core concept and keeping the series character-first.”

Russ Milheim celebrates the film as “a harrowingly beautiful, emotional story with powerhouse performances from both Lupita Nyong’o and Joesph Quinn.”

Everything Revealed By The First A Quiet Place: Day One Reactions

The Positive Reactions Are A Good Sign For The Prequel

Based on these early reactions, the performances by Nyong’o and Quinn are the highlight of A Quiet Place: Day One, adding to Quinn’s rising stardom and Nyong’o’s award-wining career. Much of the previous films’ success is attributed to the leading performances from Krasinski and Emily Blunt, with Nyong’o and Quinn’s Quiet Place characters building on that foundation. The reactions tease how their characters bring emotional depth to the prequel, whose approach to horror is more of a spectacle than its predecessors.

The difference in horror subgenres is acknowledged in many of the reactions and seems to be well-received overall. The New York City setting is vital in the franchise’s shift from more contained, rural settings to being an apocalyptic city disaster movie, along with being a vehicle to explore the all-out chaos and carnage at the onset of the Quiet Place universe’s alien invasion. On a lighter note, Sam’s cat is noted to be a scene-stealing star who is a natural fit in the high-stakes story.

Most critics agree that the new film is an exciting addition to the franchise and to the existing lore, and may even rival A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II. The generally positive reactions bode well for the film’s theatrical debut, proving that the prequel is a worthy expansion for the franchise, even without Krasinki as director, and without Krasinski and Blunt playing the leading roles. Positive reviews and good word of mouth can help A Quiet Place: Day One have a strong opening weekend and a lengthy run at the box office.

Source: Various (see above)