This origin story to 2018’s breakout horror smash deserves immense kudos for trying to be something a little different.
It could have taken the easy route and just laid out an alien invasion angle that may have appeased most fans of the fledgling franchise.
But it instead provides an intimate survival story – that’s kind of separate to the ensuing chaos – that really pulls on the heart strings.
Said storyline sees Oscar winner (12 Years a Slave) Lupita Nyongo’o headline as depressed and resentful terminally-ill cancer patient Samira, living at a hospice outside of New York City with her ‘service’ cat Frodo.
But when friendly male nurse Reuben (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’s Alex Wolff) entices her from the confines of the medical facility under the promise of ‘pizza’ after a theatre visit – she reluctantly heads into the Big Apple.
Sadly, at the same time meteors plummet from the sky (glimpsed in flashbacks in Part II) unleashing bloodthirsty extra terrestrial creatures that track their prey via ultrasonic sound-hearing capabilities with deadly efficiency – as seen in the highly-acclaimed first two movies that showcased the Abbott family.
But this prequel – which highlights ‘day one’ and ensuing couple of days of the global attack – is almost single-handedly based on Samira’s battle for survival.
Well, it is for the first half, until frightened Brit abroad law student Eric (Stranger Things’ breakout season four star Joseph ‘Eddie Munson’ Quinn) tags along as the military destroy all the bridges out of the city – as they realise the invaders can’t swim – and give orders for evacuation.
Unfortunately, in a metropolis this large, even the survivors of the initial onslaught aiming to be as quiet as possible as they attempt to reach safety – as details of how to evade the aliens filter through – is still literally ‘food and drink’ to these hyper-sensitive creatures.
But that eventually almost plays second fiddle to Samira and Eric’s blossoming friendship as they head in the opposite direction to Brooklyn, trying to make Sam’s dying wish of eating pizza at the same restaurant near her dead pianist Dad’s former jazz club, come true.
And while this change of pace away from the ‘main course’ of the invasion angle may not be to everyone’s taste, it does provide a delightfully emotive ‘story within a story’ that ignites a satisfying conclusion.
It may be (just) third in terms of ‘A Quiet Place’ movie rankings, but the dynamic of an already-dying New Yorker trying to survive was still a solidly noteworthy side plot in the wider series universe.
This instalment will undoubtedly help quench the thirst for further instalments with Emily Blunt’s Abbott family – which most fans already can’t wait to see.
Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Eliane Umuhire & Djimon Hounsou
Running Time: 1 Hr 39 Mins
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux
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