A Quiet Place: Day One Reviews Say “This Is the Best Movie in the Series”

The first reactions to A Quiet Place: Day One hit earlier this week, calling the film "terrifying", "tense", and raw", but now the first full-length reviews have rolled in: do the critics ultimately agree?

The answer is yes. A Quiet Place: Day One debuted at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes before dropping slightly to 88% once more reviews were added.

Chris Evangelista at Slashfilm said, "Against all odds, this is the best movie in the series", and he wasn't alone in that belief as Rachel Leishman at The Mary Sue said, "It is my favorite movie of the three so far".

A couple of critics noted that the fear doesn't quite hit the same anymore, "but it's stressful in the way that makes you dig your nails into your palm", says Clarisse Loughrey of the Independent (UK).

A Quiet Place: Day One is the lowest rated of the three films on Rotten Tomatoes, with A Quiet Place landing a Certified Fresh rating of 96% and A Quiet Place Part II at 91%.

Nonetheless, it seems audiences out of early screenings love what Michael Sarnoski's entry to the beloved series from John Krasinski has to say.

A Quiet Place: Day One Review Roundup

• Next Best Picture: This universe is inherently harsh in which to survive, as established by Krasinski’s previous films. Still, Sarnoski injects a bleakness that is quite refreshing for a horror franchise whose atmosphere is already beginning to feel too familiar.

• Hollywood Reporter: It’s not often we get a post-apocalyptic saga that remains so personal, so in touch with human loss as something not just forgotten in the next jump scare but given room to linger...

• indieWire: While it would be nice to have more moments of that sort of grace, A Quiet Place: Day One offers enough of them to stand on its own merits within the confines of other people’s stories, dreams, and nightmares. It makes its own noise.

• Empire Magazine: A solid A Quiet Place entry is elevated by Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s affecting performances -- a surprisingly tender tale of the end of days.

• Daily Telegraph: The film about as bold and innovative as a third franchise entry can be, which may not be desperately, but is more than enough to keep viewers’ hearts at constant throat altitude.