Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path, leading them to an encounter with a mysterious survivor from their past.
Information |
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|---|---|
Language |
English American Sign Language |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 28, 2021 |
Running time |
97 minutes |
Genre |
Drama Horror Sci-Fi Thriller |
Budget |
$61,000,000 |
Box Office |
$297,372,261 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
John Krasinski |
Produced by |
Michael Bay Andrew Form Brad Fuller John Krasinski |
Written by |
John Krasinski |
Music by |
Marco Beltrami |
Cinematography |
Polly Morgan |
Edited by |
Michael P. Shawver |
Production Co. |
Paramount Pictures Platinum Dunes Sunday Night |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Official Trailer
The Plot
Day 1: The Arrival
The timeline begins with a flashback to "Day 1." Lee Abbott enters a local grocery store to pick up a few items—including oranges and a toy rocket ship—before heading to a park where the whole town is gathered for a Little League baseball game. He greets his wife, Evelyn, who is pushing their youngest son, Beau, on the swings, before joining his deaf daughter, Regan, and their friend and neighbor, Emmett, in the stands. As Marcus, Lee’s son, prepares to bat, Beau approaches the dugout fence and hands him a stick of gum for luck. Evelyn signs to Marcus from the sidelines, reminding him to just breathe and telling him that she loves him. In the stands, Emmett jokingly shouts for a kid to dive for home plate, then asks Regan how to say "dive" in American Sign Language. Marcus steps up to the plate, visibly nervous and shaking.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifts. An unidentifiable, flaming object hurtles through the sky above the town, capturing everyone's attention. The game ends abruptly as the object crashes in the distance. Panic ensues as cell phones begin to ring with alerts and emergency vehicles mobilize. Evelyn rushes Marcus and Beau into her station wagon, while Lee takes Regan in his truck parked on Main Street. On the walk back to the truck, Lee encounters Emmett again and asks if his brother at the base has any intel, but Emmett is unsure, promising to notify Lee if he hears anything.
Lee and Regan reach the truck, but Lee exits immediately when a squad car pulls up behind them. He asks Ronnie, a local law enforcement officer, what is happening. Ronnie admits they have yet to identify exactly what they are dealing with. Almost out of nowhere, a massive, armored alien creature crashes into the squad car, flipping it. Lee jumps back into his truck and speeds off, swerving through the chaos. Meanwhile, Evelyn is stuck in gridlock traffic. A creature attacks the car directly ahead of her, forcing her to steer away frantically. She throws her car into reverse just as a bus, with a creature hanging out of the window, comes barreling down the street, crushing everything in its path.
Lee and Regan spot Evelyn’s car near the side of the road, but the streets are too dangerous to cross. They are forced to take shelter inside a local shop along with several other terrified townspeople. Huddled in silence, they watch as two teenagers attempt to call their mother, only to lose cell reception. As a creature stalks past the shop window, a man hiding with them begins mumbling prayers in a hushed, panic-stricken tone. Lee is forced to place his hand over the man's mouth to silence him. Suddenly, the teenagers' cellphone rings loud and clear. The noise alerts the creature, which crashes through the glass, slaughtering the group. Lee and Regan flee out the back door.
The creature pursues Lee and Regan down the alley. They spot Evelyn, Marcus, and Beau hiding behind an overturned police car and race toward them. The creature closes the distance, preparing to strike, but Ronnie—who survived the initial attack—appears and fires rounds at the beast with a shotgun. The bullets do not kill the armored creature, but they provide enough distraction for the Abbott family to escape the immediate slaughter.
Day 474: The Path Beyond the Sand
Over a year later, the world has been decimated. Lee and Beau are dead, and the family home has been destroyed. With her newborn baby carried in a basket around her neck, Evelyn leads Regan and Marcus up from the basement of their ruined farmhouse. She instructs the children to wait outside while she enters the burning barn to retrieve an oxygen tank, which she manages to do without incident. Meanwhile, Regan returns to the flooded basement to salvage a large speaker and her father’s map, which marks the last known locations of human life. Regan climbs the grain silo and lights a signal fire, just as her father used to do. To her shock, a single fire flickers in response from beyond the mountains. The Abbotts decide to venture beyond their sand path to seek refuge with whoever lit the flame.
The family walks for miles barefoot, carrying their supplies and the baby in a soundproof box with an oxygen mask. They eventually reach the end of the sand path and arrive at an old, abandoned rail yard. While navigating the tracks, Evelyn trips a booby trap, causing a string of glass bottles to clang together loudly. Knowing the noise will attract creatures, they sprint through the field toward an abandoned steel foundry. In the chaos, Marcus accidentally steps into a bear trap. The rusted metal clamps onto his leg, and he screams in unbearable pain. Evelyn tackles him, covering his mouth and pleading with him to be quiet while the baby begins to cry inside the box. Regan scrambles to place the oxygen mask on the infant and seal the box.
The noise draws a creature, which charges toward them with terrifying speed. Regan, thinking quickly, connects her cochlear implant to the portable amplifier she salvaged. The feedback loop creates a piercing, high-pitched frequency that cripples the creature, causing it to expose the vulnerable flesh beneath its armor plates. Seizing the moment, Evelyn shoots the creature in the head with a shotgun, killing it.
The Man in the Bunker
Evelyn grabs the baby basket, and Regan supports Marcus as they limp into one of the foundry’s warehouses. They are immediately met by a man with a scarf wrapping his face, holding a rifle. He warns them to remain silent as another creature arrives outside, sniffing for the source of the gunshot. The man leads them down into the facility’s basement, where they take shelter inside a round, steel, soundproof furnace bunker. The air supply is limited, so the man sets a timer to track how long they can stay sealed inside. He tells Evelyn bluntly that they cannot stay, as he does not have enough food or water. When Evelyn demands to see his face, he reluctantly lowers his scarf. It is Emmett—their friend from the baseball game.
Emmett is a shell of his former self. He reveals that his children died on the first day, and his wife, Nora, died just 11 weeks ago from illness. When Evelyn asks if he knew it was Lee signaling with the fires night after night, Emmett admits he knew but never came for them because "the people that are left are not the kind of people worth saving." Trying to appeal to his humanity, Evelyn opens the box and shows him the newborn baby. The timer goes off, and Emmett opens the bunker door; the creature above seems to have moved on.
While Marcus rests, Emmett gives Evelyn a bottle of alcohol to disinfect the boy's mangled leg. Regan notices a drawing of Emmett's wife on a table, which he quickly folds and hides in his pocket. Later, Regan plugs headphones into a radio and places them on Marcus. Emmett explains that they are safe to talk normally because they are under three feet of concrete. He asks about the high-pitched feedback that hurt the creature. Evelyn admits she doesn't understand the science, just that it works. Suddenly, Marcus hears the song "Beyond the Sea" playing on the radio. Emmett dismisses it, stating it has been playing on a loop for four months and is just a cruel accident. Regan, however, is convinced it is a message. She realizes the song—about the sea—is a clue that survivors are on a nearby island, located in the valley where the signal originates.
Separation and the Train
Regan tries to convince Marcus that they should travel to the island to find help, but he refuses, terrified of leaving safety. Undeterred, Regan packs her gear and leaves alone early the next morning. Marcus wakes to find a note from her reading "Keep listening." He alerts Evelyn, who is horrified. Evelyn pleads with Emmett to go after her, reminding him of the man he used to be and their past friendship. Reluctantly, Emmett takes his gun and heads out to track the girl.
Regan follows the train tracks to a station filled with the desiccated bodies of victims. She climbs aboard a stalled train to retrieve a first aid kit but accidentally makes noise, attracting a nearby creature. As she cowers, the creature boards the train car. Evelyn, back at the foundry, attempts to help by shooting at the creature from a distance to draw it away, but she only grazes it. As the creature lunges to kill Regan, a shot rings out from behind—Emmett snipes the creature in the head, saving her. He tries to force her to return to the bunker, but Regan refuses. She explains her plan: if she can reach the radio tower on the island, she can transmit the frequency from her hearing aid to every radio in the region, weaponizing the signal against the aliens. Convinced by her bravery, Emmett agrees to help her reach the coast.
The Marina Ambush
Back at the foundry, Evelyn realizes the oxygen tanks are nearly empty. She decides to make a dangerous run to the pharmacy in town. She leaves Marcus in charge, telling him to stay in the bunker with the baby. Marcus, however, grows restless. He explores the factory floor and stumbles upon the makeshift bed where Emmett sleeps, finding the decomposing body of Emmett's wife nearby. Startled, Marcus knocks over some equipment. The crash echoes through the silent factory. Terrified, he grabs the baby and runs back into the bunker, but in his panic, he accidentally locks them inside. The air-lock engages, and they are trapped without fresh oxygen.
Regan and Emmett arrive at a marina to find a boat. Before they can search, they spot a young girl cowering on a dock. Emmett approaches cautiously to help, but it is a trap. The girl ties a noose with bells around his neck, and a group of feral, scroungy survivors emerges from ambush. They rip off Regan’s backpack and tear out her cochlear implant. Thinking fast, Emmett signs "Dive" to Regan—calling back to the baseball game. She jumps into the water. Emmett deliberately triggers the noise trap, attracting two creatures. As the monsters slaughter the bandits, Emmett dives into the water. One creature lunges for him but sinks like a stone and drowns. Emmett realizes the aliens cannot swim. He and Regan climb onto a small boat and drift toward the island. In the safety of the boat, Emmett reveals he managed to snatch her hearing aid back from the bandits.
The Island Sanctuary
Regan and Emmett reach the island and discover a thriving community living in normalcy. There are fires, lights, and people talking openly. They are greeted by the Colony Leader, who takes them in. He explains that when the government realized the creatures couldn't swim, the National Guard attempted to load people onto boats. However, the panic created too much noise, and the creatures attacked the docks. Only two of the twelve boats made it out. This island is a sanctuary for the few who survived.
Back at the foundry, Evelyn returns with fresh oxygen tanks and medical supplies. She enters the basement to find the creature prowling near the bunker door. She realizes Marcus and the baby are suffocating inside. Evelyn triggers the fire suppression system by shooting a gas tank; the explosion distracts the creature and the sprinklers mask her sound. She manages to pull the unconscious Marcus and the baby out of the bunker just in time, reviving them with the fresh oxygen. They hide inside the foundry as the creature continues to hunt.
The Signal
The next morning on the island, Emmett finds Regan and returns her implant. He apologizes for doubting her and walks to the beach, where he finally unfolds the drawing of his wife, finding a moment of peace. That peace is shattered when he discovers an empty boat drifting ashore—the same boat the creature had been clinging to at the marina. He realizes the monster has drifted to the island.
Emmett sprints back to the town to warn everyone, but the creature has already begun its massacre. Chaos erupts. The Colony Leader drives a car with Emmett and Regan to lure the creature away from the civilians. They head for the radio station. The creature leaps onto the car, tearing through the roof. It kills the Colony Leader, but Emmett and Regan manage to crash the car and escape into the radio station's sound booth.
Simultaneously, at the foundry, the creature locates Evelyn and the children. It attacks, wounding Evelyn and cornering them. In the radio station, the creature breaks into the room and attacks Emmett, slashing his leg and preparing to kill him. Regan frantically plugs her hearing aid into the station's microphone. She cranks the volume, blasting the high-frequency feedback through the island’s massive speaker system.
The End of Silence
The sound cripples the creature attacking Emmett, forcing it to retreat and expose its armor. At the foundry, Marcus picks up the transmission on his portable radio. Seeing the creature cowering from the sound broadcast over the airwaves, Marcus steps forward courageously. He turns the volume up, stunning the alien, and shoots it dead with Evelyn’s revolver. Back at the radio station, Regan picks up a metal pole and impales the creature through its exposed head, killing it instantly.
With the threat neutralized, Regan leaves her hearing aid connected to the microphone. The feedback signal continues to broadcast, offering a weapon to anyone left with a radio—a way to fight back.
Top Cast
- Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott
- Cillian Murphy as Emmett
- Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott
- Noah Jupe as Marcus Abbott
- Djimon Hounsou as Man on Island
- John Krasinski as Lee Abbott
- Scoot McNairy as Marina Man
- Okieriete Onaodowan as Ronnie
Movie Collection
- A Quiet Place (2018)
- A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
- A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
- A Quiet Place Part III (2027)
