As Sam arrives in New York while receiving end-of-life hospice care for cancer, thousands of meteorites land in the city and with them terrifying aliens that hunt and attack based on sounds. As Sam tries to make her way to Harlem, she encounters Eric , an English law student lost in the city. As the two make their way through the city, more survivors and the wreckage of the alien invasion turns the journey treacherous...
Though both of them are English, and are at different stages in their career, the connection between the two of them is instantaneous. Both are incredibly expressive without so much as a word passing between them, with Joseph Quinn's sad eyes and lost child demeanour resonating with the determined survival in Lupita Nyong'o.
If you've seen either of the two previous movies, the central concept of the aliens attacking by sound is nothing new and keeps things neat and simple. They hear a noise, they attack immediately in a frenzy. This, of course, provides certain logical loopholes - like being able to hide underneath falling water or rainstorms, or using thunderclaps to mask certain sounds.
As horror prequels go, this is far better than it has any right to be as nearly all are serviceable at best and most often are a cheap cash-in for the studio. The change of setting from bucolic countryside to the heart of the city means the threat is ever more present, and with talented leads shouldering the story and keeping it raw and human, 'A Quiet Place: Day One' is a well-crafted horror-thriller worth shouting about.