Open this photo in gallery Left to right: Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place. Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures

rating 3.5 out of 4 stars `

A Quiet Place

Directed by John Krasinski

Written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and John Krasinski

Starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski

Classification PG; 90 minutes



You’re so tense you’re almost nauseous, but it’s fun – that’s the place this smart new thriller will put you in. In the near future, an adorable family led by Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and Millicent Simmonds (so lovely in Wonderstruck) tiptoe through a deserted town. We soon learn why: Aliens who hunt by sound have decimated Earth. Only the silent survive.

Open this photo in gallery Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place. Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures

Read more: The quiet success of John Krasinski

As Krasinski, who also co-wrote the script with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, drills down into the details of how the family stays muffled, lovely things rise up: the sounds of wind and water, how much people say with their eyes, the power of communication and the keenness of its loss. And when every creaky floorboard and dropped dish can do you in, the dangers don’t have to be fantastical – they’re all too real. A single exposed nail on a stairway may be the scariest thing you’ll see in a cinema this year. And Blunt proves once again what a mesmerizing actress she is, without saying a word.