Since the first film became a phenomenon in 2018, the Quiet Place franchise has, well, quietly and stealthily become one of the most consistently entertaining franchises in cinema for the past decade. The first two movies were a lot of fun, and I’m pleased to report that the spin-off prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, has only served to further that reputation, living up to the legacy of its predecessors in a satisfying, emotional, and thrilling way.

If there’s one thing I never expected to say regarding a franchise that could easily have been written off as a one-time gimmick, it’s that it would have spawned an entire universe of compelling stories. But director John Krasinski and writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck found the humanity in the Abbott family. And that is where the success of this film series lies, and something that A Quiet Place: Day One keeps in mind and carries on.

This time around, we take time away from the Abbott family, and time travel back to the first day of the alien invasion that devastated Earth into a state of permanent silence; specifically New York City. We are introduced to Samira (Lupita Nyong’o), a former poet who is dying of cancer, and her adorable and faithful cat, Frodo. During a hospice field trip to the city the invasion happens, and they, along with a displaced law student named Eric (Joseph Quinn), must battle their way across the city to ensure they, not only survive, but actually make their lives count.

It’s a very simple story, as most of these are. But it’s so incredibly compelling to see a human story about a woman and her cat doing everything they can to make the next few days count. It’s also tense as hell. The one thing you simply can’t take away from this franchise is the sheer sense of intensity that comes with watching these characters quietly go from Point A to Point B undetected, only for something to happen, and trigger a chase away from a terrifying creature. That never gets old.

However, what makes Day One feel even more fresh than its predecessors is its New York setting. Watching Samira and Eric traverse a city literally designed to be one of the noisiest environments in the world (as the epigraph at the beginning will unnecessarily remind you), makes everything even more claustrophobic and even riskier than the Abbott’s farm or similar spaced out settings. The other aspect that changes everything are the sheer swarms of creatures that stalk our protagonists throughout the city. We were terrified when we encountered between two and four monsters in the first two films. Now, in Day One we see hundreds, stampeding across the streets of New York, scaling sky scrapers with zero worries. It ups the stakes a lot more, and keeps you on the edge of your seats.

From a performance standpoint, Nyong’o is Nyong’o! And by that I mean, terrific, hilarious, and able to carry a single film with little dialogue and with simply her charisma and charm. Her character is a cynic, but never feels unlikable, even when the character tries to be. Her relationships with both Alex Wolfe’s Reuben and Quinn’s Eric are touching, but more effective than that is her unseen relationship with her father, which is so palpable despite a late-in-film reveal. It’s exposition that Nyong’o sells the living crap out of, justifying why she won an Oscar out the gate, as one of the finest actors currently working today.

It’s also a testament to where the film has its priorities: character development and emotion. The story might revolve around survival in the face of carnivorous aliens attacking humanity. But it’s really about a woman accepting her inevitable fate, and deciding to do something about it. In this particular case, the aliens don’t matter, because life can be more lethal. And more often than not, it can be unkind and unfair. But that doesn’t mean that one can’t embrace all aspects of life: past, present, and future.

Quinn also holds his own alongside his award-winning screen partner. Living up to the promise he showed as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things, Quinn’s character is a terrific combination of paradoxical human emotions: cowardly, yet brave, annoying, yet charming. He’s a character whose innocence and heart deeply affects those around him — in this case Samira. And that contributes greatly to the themes of this movie, as both characters inspire one another to keep going because, in spite of overwhelming odds, living life is worth it.

However, if I must confess anything at all, it’s that these two characters are single handedly overshadowed by the film’s biggest star: Frodo the cat. The adorable black and white companion of Nyong’o’s Samira, whenever Frodo is not on screen, all you’re left wondering is where he is, and if he’s safe. He provides companionship, not only for Samira, but also Eric, during pivotal moments throughout the movie, increasing audience anxiety and tension as we hope for the very safe well-being of the charming quadruped.

Once again, one of the other incredible aspects of this franchise is its use of sound mixing and engineering to build the suspense. The mixing to make the sounds of the creatures otherworldly, combined with water elements, glass, debris, and props combined with the silence of the most tense moments within the movie serve to keep the audiences on the edge of their seats. It’s always been the most terrific technical element of these films, and it only gets better with each film. Combined with a dynamic score from composer Alexis Grapsas, the movie just escalates from the first frame to the final keeping the action dynamic and explosive.

Overall writer/director Michael Sarnoski (Pig) proves that even without Krasinski at the helm, a terrific Quiet Place movie can be made. He understands that this franchise is not about aliens, but rather humanity. And persistence in survival as well as the idea of embracing life and all of its many challenges. With terrific performances from Nyong’o and Quinn (and especially Frodo), A Quiet Place: Day One is proof once more that this franchise was absolutely made for theaters. More than that, this may be the most emotional and thrilling installment to date. In conclusion, as long as the filmmakers keep making them like this, I’ll be coming to see the Quiet Place movies in theaters forever!

Overall Score: B+