Stanley Tucci

Kiernan Shipka

Miranda Otto

Kate Trotter

John Corbett

Kyle Breitkopf

Dempsey Bryk

Billy MacLellan

Chris Whitby

Barbara Gordon

Zoe Doyle

Cory O'Brien

Alex Hatz

Gregory Waters

Sarah Abbott

Kate Corbett

John Fray

Konima Parkinson-Jones

Dan Duran

Pat Kiernan

Annika Pergament

Helen Stevens

Callum Shoniker

Hannah Gordon

Taylor Love

Cesare Scarpone

Carson Durven

Ryan Turner

Luigi Raimondo

Michael G. Morrison

Allan Wylie

Christopher Minos

Nancey Pankiw

Carey van Dyke

Sally Bishop

John R. Leonetti

Shane van Dyke

Tim Lebbon

Martin Salgo

Lea Carlson

Hartley Gorenstein

Andrew Shea

Duff Smith

Jenny Lewis

Scott Lambert

Robert Kulzer

Paul Jones

Matt Glover

Michael Galbraith

Robert Turi

Martin Moszkowicz

Alexandra Milchan

Stefan Steen

Andrea Kristof

Bernhard Thür

Nathan Robitaille

Robert Leader

Dorota Mitoraj

Sara Kay

Dennis Berardi

Michele Conroy

Sarah Campbell

Bob Ziembicki

Tom Hajdu

Aaron Becker

Andy Milburn

tomandandy

Horror

Drama

Thriller

Fantasy

The Silence

Constantin Film

EMJAG Productions

Mister Smith Entertainment

Canada

Germany

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

based on novel or book

deaf

post-apocalyptic future

survival

creature

religious cult

sign languages

deadly creature

creature attack

trying to avoid making noise

Same story as "Sshhh" and "Bird Box", In this movie you can speak (loudly).But you can see, which is different by Netflix.

The Movie Diorama

The Silence mutes any and all brain activity, sending viewers into a quiet sleep. “Shhhh! Be vewy vewy quiet! I’m hunting carnivewous ancient bats!”. For even the most minuscule of noises will send a swarm of ‘Pitch Black’ ‘Doctor Who’-esque bat demons that will scratch, bite and gnaw at your flesh. Based on a novel apparently, however any and all originality was tossed out of the family car window when both the superior ‘A Quiet Place’ and hugely popular ‘Bird Box’ were capitalising on the whole “sense prevention” horror schtick. Basically, it’s both those films put together. Ancient bat creatures are released from an uncharted cave system and are terrorising the continent of North America, where we follow a family trying to survive and reach a refuge.

Problem is, this family is so chilled and relaxed during this heightened state of emergency, that any and all threat is relinquished from the nonchalant acting and careless attitudes. Urgh, honestly! Leonetti is doing his absolute best in unimaginatively mimicking other similar films, where veteran and all-round talent Tucci is waltzing around the countryside showing a face of “I can’t be bothered, release me from this torturous nightmare”.

Plagued by infuriatingly stupid plot conveniences and character choices, the severe lack of tension halts the momentum entirely. Heck, it’s not even in neutral anymore. It’s reversing! Examples include (brace yourself...): handing a handgun to the uncle who is then left to die, ginger son conveniently switching cars before one of them veers over a verge, iPhones instantly muting themselves when submerged in water for a total of three seconds and bringing an obviously loud dog with you. That last example, accompanied with an unnecessary scene involving members of the public banishing a mother and her baby due to generating far too much noise, are simply utilised to showcase the destructive nature of humanity. Yup. Humans suck, and this film wants you to know that. You shan’t be scared by the horrifically visualised bat demons that look smoother than Tucci’s bald head. It’s the characters that’ll get under your skin and infuriate you.

Need more proof? The entire third act. Father and daughter wander off to the nearest pharmacy, surprisingly making zero noise whatsoever on the way there, and encounter a mentally unstable reverend who yearns to fertilise young girls to maintain the population and chop their tongues off (after the foreplay, obviously...). What. The. Hell? That was so left field that even the flying angels didn’t see that coming. The narrative focus shifts constantly, making an already boring premise even more tediously mundane.

Aside from one sacrifice towards the conclusion that had some emotional gravitas, The Silence offers nothing more than another forced extraction of this now dull horror concept. Actors weren’t trying, direction was unstable and the insufficient amount of scares were, well, insufficient. Oh wait, I forgot! It literally ends on the daughter becoming survivalist-styled Lara Croft and hunting these winged menaces down. Oh no no! I’m done! Just watch ‘A Quiet Place’ instead...

Official Trailer

The Silence( 2019)

They're listening.

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A review by KhanStan

Written by KhanStan on Tue Apr 23 2019

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