10-Category Review: A Quiet Place

Intro

Hello and welcome to a 10-category review of A Quiet Place. Here I will be evaluating the film using a rubric of ten categories (acting, direction, production design, writing, sound effects, visual effects, editing, cinematography, casting, and score/soundtrack). Each category will be judged on a range of 0-10. With each score, I will provide as much evidence as I can to justify the ruling while avoiding spoilers. I hope to give an accurate evaluation of the film without giving anything away. Enjoy!

Acting: 8/10

-A Quiet Place is a film that relies heavily on its actors to hit many difficult emotions and display them in effective, muted ways. There are arguably moments where the children display their acting youth or John Krasinski does a bit too much but I believe everything is ultimately solid from a cast that took on a heavy load.

Direction: 7/10

-The direction of this movie comes across as proficient without anything that sets it apart. While I did appreciate the atmosphere and efficiency of the experience, I did find myself yearning for more unexpected, artful moments. All in all, Kransinski got the job done here.

Production Design: 8/10

-It could be the Hollywood power-couple but A Quiet Place comes off like a real Hollywood movie from the atmosphere to the minute props. I do take some issue with the creative look of the antagonists but I cannot deny current Hollywood trends.

Writing: 6/10

-One of the bigger weaknesses of this film is definitely the writing. While the story is both ambitious and grounded, there are problems with cliches, weak characters and telling (rather than showing) writing. There are certainly strong moments and real emotional beats too but that only gets us so far.

Sound FX: 9/10

-A big draw for A Quiet Place is its use of sound (or lack thereof). The expectations could be high in this regard but the film lives up to it because sound plays a major role throughout. There are some moments of cheap tricks that hold this back from a 10 but, overall, this movie is a great example of how effective sound can be.

Visual FX: 7/10

-The lighting, setting, and rugged practical effects of A Quiet Place serve the film well as they all pull the audience in. What debatably holds the movie back, however, is in how the antagonists look and are displayed. The design there comes off as played-out.

Editing: 7/10

-Much like the direction, the editing of A Quiet Place comes off as proficient without leaving much lasting impression. The pacing is concise and the story is told in a way we're all familiar with. Much like the film overall, this category feels distinctly good not great.

Cinematography: 6/10

-Cinematography is another category where I found myself disappointed by this film. While A Quiet Place does take its time and is more nuanced than most, there is a general lack creativity in the film-making overall. Once again, the job gets done but there is a complete lack of memorable imagary.

Casting: 7/10

-Casting children is a difficult task that this film accomplishes well enough. Meanwhile, Emily Blunt & John Krasinski show off their chemistry while remaining generally believable throughout. Nobody really stole the show but everyone did well.

Score/Soundtrack: 6/10

-I may sound like a broken record at this point but the musical scoring of A Quiet Place comes off as proficient while also a bit bland. Many of the notes fit formulas we've heard before which is effective here but also forgettable.

Conclusion: 7.1/10

-A Quiet Place is a film that does enough right to be engaging throughout but doesn't take quite enough chances to be truly memorable or unique. A perfectly fine film that will probably be liked by most but loved by few.