When I heard about The Silence on Netflix (also streaming on Acorn in the USA) the horror movie was instantly said to be a rip-off of Birdbox and A Quiet Place. I love apocalyptic and end of the world scenarios. The Silence movie combines some sensory deprivation, along with dinosaur bats and despite being a little similar in concept to A Quiet Place, there is plenty of difference. In addition, “The Silence” utilizes a great cast, but and enjoys a 64% satisfaction rating on the film aggregator website JustWatch.com.
I don’t like comparing films. Sure, I often find myself drawing a connection with something I liked or disliked in another film I’m reminded of. But, if you’re like me, I find certain ideas and themes appealing enough to watch a whole bunch of similar titles. A lot of the time I’m pretty happy if I get a little something new or fresh within a well-worn niche.
- Produced by Constantin Film and Distributed by Netflix.
- Released April 10, 2019.
- The Silence cast stars: Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto
Some cinephiles are very picky about what they like to watch. Aside from preferring a particular genre, some have clear lines about what their movies or television should be like. For example, I know a guy who abhors certain production companies and no matter how good you say it is, he won’t believe it’s true. Others champion every movie as unoriginal or can take the tiniest thread of commonality and deem it ‘exactly the same.’
The Cast of The Silence Movie Netflix
If you haven’t yet seen The Silence, it’s directed by John R. Leonetti. He’s credited with a few films I praise like Annabelle (2014) and, Wolves at the Door (2016.) Leonetti also worked with other great filmmakers like James Wan in the past. As for Shane Van Dyke, I should’ve noticed earlier that his previous screenplays were for The Asylum brand who are well known for copying Blockbuster films and making them worse.
The cast is all seasoned performers and most will recognize a face or two. I particularly like John Corbett (Sex and the City) but most will be more familiar with the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka and Miranda Otto. Even Stanley Tucci has some miles on him. His recent role in Patient Zero (2018) was a bit of a flop but, most will remember him from the more successful The Hunger Games or The Devil Wears Prada. It begs the question though, why did they all kind of suck in this? I will give Tucci a pass for his portrayal of Hugh because he was pretty good, however, I wasn’t a fan of much of the rest of the roles of the cast for varying reasons.
This Review (The Silence on Netflix) Contains Spoilers
Glen played by Corbett was completely monotone and lacking inflection. Perhaps that’s his idea of how a tough guy would do it but I wasn’t really buying what he was selling.
For the others, it was particular things they did. Perhaps it was the poor direction, scripting, or a combination of both but I spent a lot of time annoyed. The family and most of their friends could sign. So why they were constantly talking or whispering at the same time? This was something I didn’t understand, especially when being absolutely quiet is a life-saving issue. At least in A Quiet Place, they had a deaf actress play a deaf person. I didn’t like Shipka’s performance here and her not being deaf stood out like a sore thumb for me. Parts, where the sound cuts out from the chaos clearly, show her screaming several times. I doubt it was silent.
The Dino-Bats In The Silence, Are They Historically Accurate?
Let’s talk about the bats. I’ve seen a lot of criticism about the CGI and the bats, but for me, they were pretty good. Some of the close-ups are nicely executed and the design and mannerisms for the bats themselves are pretty cool. Even some of the overlays, where the bats are in the foreground and people are in the background, looked pretty nice. And the woodchipper scene, that was something else. What’s more, are these mythical beasts historically accurate? Well, they look like they could be but the closest species I could find is the Ambopteryx longibrachium which was indeed a dinosaur bat.
The CGI tongues in The Silence movie were awful, and the reverend was so overtly creepy straight up, that I felt like emasculating Hugh myself when they were infiltrated so easily. At least the women had some balls, and the skills to get things done.
The Story for The Silence Movie is Based on a Novel
The storyline for The Silence feels so formulaic though here. I wonder if the feel of the novel The Silence is based on, kept any of its integrity. The bones of the premise are awesome, catastrophic dinosaur bats that demolish anything its path is quite compelling. It has an almost Jurassic Park feel to it having them evolve and then turn to lay eggs and spreading the chaos. Everything else felt, well, just not good enough. With no background for ‘The Hushed’ and his tribe or why the little old lady pulled a gun on a family, it all felt underdone.
This movie goes ok if you can overlook all the small things. Many people have already said just how much they liked this film. For me though, I guess I just wanted a little more care taken. It makes me unhappy when good ideas are wasted and this feels like one of those times.
If you are interested in watching another film catered for the deaf community, try Soul to Keep, an indie horror film from Shady Tree Pictures.
I give The Silence
2.5 creative tactics for suicide bombs out of 5
Full Movie Trailer for The Silence
