Which "A Quiet Place" Film Reigns Supreme: A Ranking of the Series from Least Best to Best

With A Quiet Place: Day One releasing last month, I wanted to watch through all of the Quiet Place films. Before a couple months ago, I had never seen any of the films in the series so I am still fairly new to the franchise. However, I still found these films to be very well made with a great director debut from John Krasinski. I think this franchise brings the perfect level of horror for me. It isn't too scary that it's off-putting for me but just scary enough that it keeps me on the edge of my seat when watching. I feel this is one of the better horror franchises that I have seen. I also found this franchise to be extremely consistent. I don't think any of the films are bad but they have to go in an order somehow. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the three A Quiet Place films.

3. A Quiet Place: Day One

While A Quiet Place: Day One is the weakest in the series. It is still a very solid horror film. This movie does a great of taking what worked with the other films and bringing it to a new setting. We get to see all of these people in NYC experience this alien invasion and must figure out how to survive. While the movie is about this alien invasion, at its core it is about this hospice cancer patient learning to survive and enjoying the last moments of her life. The Lupita Nyong character goes through a pretty solid arc and by the end of the movie learns to accept her fate and just enjoy the last moments that she has. I also liked how the movie was set in a large city. This brings in so many different elements that the original films couldn't do being out in the country. The movie also does a great job of building out the world. We get to see a bit more of how the aliens interact with each other as well as the government's initial plan to stop the invasion. The main thing about keeping this from being higher is that it just didn't have the emotional weight of the other two films. I also thought that the Eric character didn't add much to the story. He was there more to help Sam on her journey and not really on a character arc on his own.

In the end, this is another great addition to the franchise and proves that the series is still going strong.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

Click Here to read my full review of this movie.

2. A Quiet Place: Part II

A Quiet Place: Part 2 does a great job of continuing the highs of the first film. This movie picks up right where the first film left and continues the story naturally. The main family members do a great job of carrying the film with the film giving them all some moment to shine. I liked that this movie allowed Regan to get a bit more of a spotlight as it elevated her to more of the lead in the film. It lets her go on her own personal journey to save her family and allows her to really grow as a person. Emily Blunt is still great in the film. She and the two kids do a great job of portraying emotions and fear with very limited dialogue. This movie also does a great job of expanding the world of this franchise. We get to see a glimpse of the start of the invasion as well as several other groups of people trying to live in this alien-infested world. Cillian Murphy is a solid addition to the franchise as well. He takes on a bit of a paternal role to Regan as they go on this journey to find help. He also goes through a great character arc from someone to who does not want anything to do with the Abbot family to be willing to risk his life to save Regan. There isn't very much keeping this from number one other than I just like the first film better. I did find Marcus a bit irritating at times but beyond that, this is a great continuation to the A Quiet Place story.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. A Quiet Place

The original film is easily the best film of the franchise. This is probably one of the best horror movies I have seen. This movie takes a great premise and executes it perfectly. John Krasinski really knows how to set the tone for this movie, effectively building tension, and just taking a simple concept and running with it. This movie essentially is a silent film for the majority of the run time but still manages to be incredibly effective as even the slightest sound gets you on the edge of your seat as you are concerned that anything could cause the aliens to show up. The movie is so effective at what it is going for that even a cough from someone in the theater will get you to jump. All four family members deliver great performances and manage to provide emotion and establish relationships without speaking. The movie is also very effective with its runtime. It clocks in at about 90 minutes but nothing ever feels rushed or cramped. Everything in the films feels extremely purposefully and the runtime just fits perfectly with the premise. If the movie was any longer the gimmick of the film may have gotten old. Even with the short run time, the movie manages to establish the world and rules, great tension, and have a satisfying conclusion. Overall, this is just such a unique horror movie that spawned a fantastic series of films.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A+