First of all, we don't like horror, modern horror in particular that often relies on gore and jump scares. Most of the horror films we like are older and focus on the psychological aspects and gear towards suspense, not horror. Hitchcock is the master. We saw both these movies about six months apart from each other. It is surprising to us, that we have now seen not one, not two, but three horror films in the cinema. Let us reiterate, we do not like horror. We also saw Get Out last year. We didn't include Get Out here, because it simply does not compare as well. These two are first and foremost entertainment. Content-wise they don't pack as much of a punch as Get Out, as it dives into the African-American experience in the US. So we're gonna go with these. If anyone wants our take on Get Out, ask Jenni to send the essay she wrote for her African-American cinema class (you'll need to understand Finnish for that).
It
Pros: Most of the children are good. Those kids that are given time, use it well. We especially liked Beverly as a character, despite the stereotypical storyline they pushed on her. Some of the visuals are cool and work pretty well. For example, the red balloon, the painting coming to life and the slide show. Most of the story works without major hiccups and manages to be quite entertaining.
Cons: All the jump scare scenes and music. Too much of it. That always does away with suspense. Suspense is created by the good old Hitchcock rule: the audience knows something that's about to happen which the characters do not. Too little of that here. Not enough of planting and payoff. Underdeveloped characters (eg. Stanley and Mike). Stereotype storyline for the one girl. Although the abuse backstory is the best part of the film, but that damn damsel in distress strikes again. Isn't it time we get past this cliché? Plus why was she floating with the others when she wasn't afraid anymore? Also, the film had other time-wasting clichés that don't lead anywhere. Like the good old 'heroes must fight and separate' which definitely contributes to the overlong runtime of the film. In addition, some CGI was pretty hacky.
A Quiet Place
Pros: Good deployment of visual cues. Planting and payoff worked great. Well developed characters, it was most likely easier to develop them as there are only four. None of the characters are useless. When you have too many characters, some of them will suffer and not be as interesting as those who are given time. Not a problem here. Particularly mature storyline for the daughter and unlike in It, this film explores it and gives her a real character arc. There are actually tense and scary moments as they use visual and audible cues (not music, but sound). The silence was a refreshing take on horror. Surprisingly short and enjoyably succinct, it had no unnecessary scenes and was easy to follow. Did not try to branch off to anything more. That's a good thing. All of the performances felt real and packed an emotional punch.
Cons: Occasional use of the jump scare music, though nothing compared to It. Minor complaint would be (to others it might matter more) the creatures' CG. But again, this aspect did not bother us nearly as much as it did in It. And that's literally all the complaints we have, folks.
General: It should be pretty obvious which movie we like better. It is rare for us to see a film in the cinema about which we have minimal complaints. For us , It was a standard made for Hollywood blockbuster (though funnily enough, rated R) and didn't really scare us or leave a mark. Whereas, A Quiet Place kept us at the edge of our seats and we still think about the film three months after having seen it. Also, first time we have preferred a PG - 13 over an R - rated film.
It
Pros: Most of the children are good. Those kids that are given time, use it well. We especially liked Beverly as a character, despite the stereotypical storyline they pushed on her. Some of the visuals are cool and work pretty well. For example, the red balloon, the painting coming to life and the slide show. Most of the story works without major hiccups and manages to be quite entertaining.
Cons: All the jump scare scenes and music. Too much of it. That always does away with suspense. Suspense is created by the good old Hitchcock rule: the audience knows something that's about to happen which the characters do not. Too little of that here. Not enough of planting and payoff. Underdeveloped characters (eg. Stanley and Mike). Stereotype storyline for the one girl. Although the abuse backstory is the best part of the film, but that damn damsel in distress strikes again. Isn't it time we get past this cliché? Plus why was she floating with the others when she wasn't afraid anymore? Also, the film had other time-wasting clichés that don't lead anywhere. Like the good old 'heroes must fight and separate' which definitely contributes to the overlong runtime of the film. In addition, some CGI was pretty hacky.
A Quiet Place
Pros: Good deployment of visual cues. Planting and payoff worked great. Well developed characters, it was most likely easier to develop them as there are only four. None of the characters are useless. When you have too many characters, some of them will suffer and not be as interesting as those who are given time. Not a problem here. Particularly mature storyline for the daughter and unlike in It, this film explores it and gives her a real character arc. There are actually tense and scary moments as they use visual and audible cues (not music, but sound). The silence was a refreshing take on horror. Surprisingly short and enjoyably succinct, it had no unnecessary scenes and was easy to follow. Did not try to branch off to anything more. That's a good thing. All of the performances felt real and packed an emotional punch.
Cons: Occasional use of the jump scare music, though nothing compared to It. Minor complaint would be (to others it might matter more) the creatures' CG. But again, this aspect did not bother us nearly as much as it did in It. And that's literally all the complaints we have, folks.
General: It should be pretty obvious which movie we like better. It is rare for us to see a film in the cinema about which we have minimal complaints. For us , It was a standard made for Hollywood blockbuster (though funnily enough, rated R) and didn't really scare us or leave a mark. Whereas, A Quiet Place kept us at the edge of our seats and we still think about the film three months after having seen it. Also, first time we have preferred a PG - 13 over an R - rated film.
