The Silence

The Silence

Starring Kiernan Shipka, Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto, Kate Trotter

Directed by John Leonetti

The Story:
After suffering an accident that left her deaf at thirteen, Ally (Kiernan Shipka) is now fluent in sign language as is her family, and she's adjusted well to being deaf.  Her father Hugh (Stanley Tucci), mother Kelly (Miranda Otto), grandmother Lynn (Kate Trotter), and younger brother Jude (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) have all adjusted with Ally, and all have learned sign language for her.

Unbeknownst to them, explorers have broken through a hidden cave a thousand miles under the Appalachian mountains, unleashing a horde of blind flying creatures that have been locked there for millions of years, and now they've come to the surface and begin attacking people who make noise.  As the violence intensifies, the family decides to head out of the city in hopes of finding a safe-haven, a place free from noise where they can survive.

The Synopsis:
Netflix has exploded with original content that have received critical acclaim.  "Roma" earned several Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture, a first for a streaming service).  "Bird Box" was viewed millions of times and garnered a plethora of Internet memes and jokes.  There's bound to be some duds in the group, and while not a complete failure, "The Silence" fails to really capture any sort of excitement - basically, if you're comparing it, you'd think it's a weaker "A Quiet Place" than anything else, and it doesn't seem like the director really cares of you compare it or not.

The film follows a family as they trek an unknown land in hopes of surviving a race of flying creatures that were trapped deep underground until recently, and due to this they cannot see, but only hear.  The daughter endured an accident that left her deaf, so this allows the family to communicate quietly without drawing attention, and they use this to their advantage as they make their way north, all the while under constant watch of the swarming creatures (they call them "vesps") and other survivors that might have just lost their minds.

There's several comparisons you can make between "The Silence" and other world-ending apocalyptic films like "A Quiet Place" and even "Bird Box," but the movie is actually based on a book that was released years before either film came out, so it's a bit unfair to label it as a cheap knock-off, but the timing didn't really help matters.  Like "A Quiet Place," the film follows a family as they try to survive, and their daughter is deaf, so it helps them to communicate (there's also a scene in "The Silence" with the mother in a tub, much like Emily Blunt's character did in "A Quiet Place" - also, the film stars Stanley Tucci, who's Emily Blunt's brother-in-law).  Like "Bird Box," there's a gang of crazed religious zealots who think the daughter is essential for the future of life, and will stop at nothing to get to her.  So yes, it's easy to compare, but it's like comparing a high-end steak to a Big Mac ("The Silence" is the Big Mac, in case you were wondering).

The addition of a deaf daughter seems almost laughable compared to "A Quiet Place," mostly because the former actually starred a girl who's deaf in real life, whereas "The Silence" stars "Sabrina" star Kiernan Shipka, who's not deaf in real life.  You can tell between the two performances who's really deaf and who's faking it, and while Shipka tried to learn sign language, it comes off as cheap and obviously acted.

The rest of the cast perform to their tropes well, including Stanley Tucci (as the father who wants to protect his family at all costs), Miranda Otto (as the loving mother who turns violent to protect her children), Kate Trotter (as the caring, nurturing grandmother), and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf (as the younger annoying brother who's frightened pretty much all the time).

The film itself is a myriad of post-apocalyptic tropes that are so overplayed, it seemed like director John Leonetti (who also directed "Annabelle") was tired of his own work and just wanted it to end.  The final half hour adds the crazed religious zealots that seem like a severe afterthought, like Leonetti was wondering how he would end the film quickly so he added them in (even though they're featured in the book), and it's extremely rushed and unnecessary.

The beginning of the film was actually interesting and kept my attention, especially when the family finds themselves trapped in their car.  Most movies would feature the family as incredibly stupid, but they actually do some smart things that I would do if I was in their situation, especially creating loud diversions away from themselves so they can sneak away quietly.  There's another moment that is actually very intelligent for the people in the film, but it's a spoiler so I won't include that specific moment, but you'll know it when you see it.

The beings themselves are laughable, and makes this Netflix original look more like a SyFy Original - the "vesps" basically look like bats without eyes, and they're so terribly CGI-ed that it takes away from the real terror the film tries to express (at least they were smart in "Bird Box" and chose to not reveal what's killing everyone).  Also, somehow, someway, I'm not sure how, but the Internet still works and CNN (they actually call it by name) is still on the air.  Doesn't make sense, but then again "The Silence" really doesn't make a whole lot of sense either.

The Summary:
Comparing it to "A Quiet Place," "The Silence" is a cheap knock-off with less interesting characters and terrible effects, but if you decide to not compare it and see it for its own merits, you'll find that it's pretty much filled with less interesting characters and terrible effects.

The Score: C-