In a world where noise hating aliens will slaughter you…..all she wanted, was a nice slice of pizza…..

Its a bold move to remove the Abbot family in what is basically the third film in the now growing Quiet Place franchise and while they’ll be a few, hoping to see what’s next for Emily Blunt’s Evelyn, this entry starts right back at the beginning in a new city, with Lupita Nyong’o’s Sam now our focal point, bringing heartfelt and warmth in a world full of carnage and blood – there is horror moments here – but this offers a surprisingly emotional attachment that makes it one of the best prequels for a long, long time.

Knowing that the viewer is now accustomed to the threat coming, director Michael Sarnoski who also wrote the film and is vastly becoming a big name having came to the fore with Nic Cage’s fan favourite PIG in 2021, wisely opts to make characters we care about, centre stage and with Sam, the film has an incredible heartbeat for us to share on its journey.

Sam is dying. Cancer has spread and she is angry with the world, but when those familiar aliens arrive and people cant help but scream which gets them killed and the authorities having no idea what they are dealing with, Sam is at peace, all she wants is a slice of pizza and will walk the bloodied streets to get it.

Accompanied by Frodo, a cat that doesn’t just do the usual horror stable by hiding in closed doors, waiting to jump out for a cheap scare, this feline is one of the best animal characters in a long time, playing a pivotal role in getting the plot from one point to the other. One particular scene in which our beloved pet gets dangerously close to these aliens will have you’re heart pumping for Frodo to survive.

When Sam reluctantly teams up with Joseph Quinn’s Eric, fresh from the success of his appearance in Stranger Things the movie becomes a two-hander, both contributing massively to scenes that are heavily poignant, if its not a simple magic trick or the sound of thunder shielding the screams of frustration, moments that bring such sentimental waves or even a single shed of tear, rolling down your cheek.

In between the sadness, the film doesn’t forget its end of the world roots by offering some solid alien attack set-pieces, but as expected, now entering the third film, there is familiarity to what we see, but the idea that for Sam, death awaits no matter what is so bittersweet, that you are virtually willing her to achieve that one simple goal she has left in life.

The biggest achievement of Day One is not once do we think of the Abbots. While the first two films were of a family trying their best in a changed world, this entry is of Sam already facing her worst nightmare, long before those aliens turned up. The fact she found a friend during all this and manages to find something now worth fighting for, makes this the most personal entry yet and a prequel that will go down as one of the most surprising additions and for many, perhaps the best entry yet.

Rating: ★★★★☆