A Quiet Place: Day One

Sam (Lupita Nyong'o) is a terminal cancer patient currently residing in a hospice just outside New York with her cat Frodo.

She has become bitter and cynical, unwilling to take part in group activities, but is persuaded to head into the city for a theatre performance by the promise of pizza afterwards.

No good will come of this.

CW: violent mayhem

The little franchise that could spits out another decent instalment in the shape of Michael Sarnoski's prequel.

As the alien invasion gets underway, Sam reluctantly teams up with another survivor Eric (Joseph Quinn) and when it seems escape from the city is impossible settles for a much more mundane goal.

There's no grand action movie heroics here just little bits of human resilience in the face of despair as the pair creep through the battle damaged city while industrialised society gets on with the ugly business of ending. As ever Nyong'o is excellent: she seems to be settled into a pattern of bringing class to genre movies and Quinn works well as the anxious young man.

Highly recommended 8/10. Perhaps more moving than you'd expect and the very last shot, while inevitable, packs a punch.