The Silence (2019)★★★★☆

So, I think this movie had the bad fortune of coming on the heels of a couple similar, highly regarded films (Bird Box, which I’ll be watching tomorrow, and A Quiet Place, which I’ll be watching later this year once the third one is released). A lot of reviews pan it because it’s too similar to those films and “not as good”. I respectfully disagree. And not JUST because the main character is named “Ally”.

First, I really like the cast in this. Kiernan Shipka is great, I’ve always loved Stanley Tucci, and Miranda Otto and John Corbett aren’t too bad themselves. I don’t know the guy who played the creepy reverend, but he sure played the HELL out of his part.

I love that this movie is short. It tries to get right to the point. It doesn’t always succeed, but it never drags on. And while I actually think this is more similar tonally and plot-wise to Bird Box than A Quiet Place, I found it to be enough to stand on its own.

(Mild spoilers ahead) For one, you see a LOT of the threat in this, directly and pretty immediately (which if I recall correctly is different from both of the others). And there’s a lot more about how people interact together at the start of this kind of crisis (which is where some of the Bird Box similarities come in). Also, both this and Bird Box are based on novels. I think I read this after seeing the film?

Anyhow, sure, when this came out, I could see how people were getting tired of the conceit and felt like it was just trying to cash in on others’ success. But I enjoyed it. Far better than most of the other movies I’ve watched this month! So maybe give it another try?