Philippine Distributor: United International Pictures (through Paramount Pictures)
Scary movies aren’t really my thing, but for a date with Emily Blunt, I was willing to risk having sleepless nights. Haha. My #Beardict: A Quiet Place exceeds expectations with its fresh take on the horror movie genre, using silence as its main tool all throughout.
Here are the Reasons Why A Quiet Place Deserves Your Time:
Cinema Was Quiet. With a hashtag that says #StayQuiet and the trailer’s voice over saying “Stop talking,” I think the audience was conditioned from the start to refrain from making a sound to not disrupt the cinematic experience. We Filipinos aren’t really the most disciplined crowd when it comes to watching movies, but it was such a pleasant surprise. For my viewing of A Quiet Place, things were eerily quiet, so much so that I had to time my popcorn eating during the noisier parts of the film so I wouldn’t disturb the peace. I even heard the sound of a soda can opening many seats away from me. It was THAT quiet.
Emily Blunt. Although I’ve become a super fan of Emily over the years (my gamer tag was once Bearishblunt—go figure!), The Devil Wears Prada was not the movie that started it all. I remember watching the British comedy Wild Target (2010), and I decided to intensely support her after that. Although I will always think of her as the Captain Marvel that never was, I am happy that she’s expanded her filmography to include horror, showing that she can do any role imaginable. It’s always a delight to see her on-screen. I firmly believe it’s only a matter of time before she wins an Oscar.
John Krasinski. Krasinski has really come out of his comedic shell. Best known for his character Jim in the US version of The Office, he has proven that he has the acting chops for more serious roles. More importantly, he has now established himself as an up-and-coming director/scriptwriter. It’s amusing how he almost became Captain America. Come to think of it, his look and stance in A Quiet Place actually has a similar vibe to Chris Evans’ Nomad.
Unconventional Family Movie. One of my friends said that A Quiet Place is a family project, and indeed, it is an excellent one. Krasinski and Blunt bring their real-life chemistry as husband and wife to the screen (Guys, please, do not break up. Haha.) I can definitely see them now as older versions of Reed Richards and Sue Storm in a potential Fantastic Four reboot by Marvel Studios. A Quiet Place has a post-apocalyptic setting, but it (thankfully) gives the teenage love triangle scenario a rest. Instead, the film centers on the family dynamic as the most important thing in the world, especially since every second/breath taken, danger is just lurking around the corner.
A Trailer that Teases. I saw the trailer of A Quiet Place a couple of times before seeing it in the cinemas. I have to say that although I was pumped to see it, I didn’t really know the plot yet. Maybe it was my lack of attention, but I honestly though the film was about a newlywed couple who move in to a mysterious mute community, and things go haywire from there. Haha. The point is: trailers nowadays reveal too much of what’s in store that we basically know what’s going to happen. For A Quiet Place, it just entices us to watch.
Effective Marketing. Of course, a trailer would not be great if the whole marketing strategy wasn’t. Its production budget of 17M USD (already small relative to other Hollywood releases) was already surpassed by US box office numbers only after a few days of release. Assuming that the marketing budget is roughly the same amount, A Quiet Place is well on its way to become a very profitable film. Word of mouth and early positive reviews definitely helped the big numbers and made it viral. Fans have been rating it 11/10 (I even saw a 14/10), and celebrities have been consistently tweeting about their experience. Stephen King, one of the greatest storytellers of our time, even said:
“A QUIET PLACE is an extraordinary piece of work. Terrific acting, but the main thing is the SILENCE, and how it makes the camera’s eye open wide in a way few movies manage.”
That’s a very solid endorsement, given Stephen King is not easily impressed—he is known to even dislike many adaptations for his books.
Here in the Philippines, I didn’t see any local billboards, but before its release, I encountered short ads in Spotify Free (which I did not mind at all given I was so hyped for this movie. Haha). UIP Philippines also released a series of boosted content on Facebook and Instagram. Truly, A Quiet Place is an entertainment success that needs to be studied. The industry can learn a lot from it!
Great Pacing. Immediately after the movie ended, the couple seated next to me talked about how A Quiet Place had great pacing. I thought about it, and they were absolutely right. At just a 1 hour and 30 min screen time, it didn’t seem too short or “bitin,” and the events were fleshed out properly, leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Developing Threat. I like how the evil they were up against was introduced little by little, and they didn’t spend a lot of time with exposition at the start. Instead, A Quiet Place chooses to go on a journey with the audience, providing clues here and there, building up to the final fight.
Audience-Friendly. Essentially, it’s a scary movie that can be watched by people who are unable to watch scary movies. Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite gripping, and there were a lot of moments that really caught me off guard (that’s putting it lightly haha), but the premise is not going to prevent you from having a good night’s sleep. I won’t say anything more to prevent spoilers, but I just wanted to put this so those who are hesitating because of the horror factor can go ahead and watch it. You definitely won’t regret it!
