By Moira Macdonald

Seattle Times arts critic

Movie review

“The prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” is filled with monsters and heroes, but the only thing I could think about being the cat. The characters are, to be honest, awe-inspiring: Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) is a cancer sufferer dying in hospice and yet capable of walking long distances through Manhattan as well as swim between the subway stations that are inundated, and jog extremely fast transporting her pet. Eric (Joseph Quinn) performs the same things, only wearing a tie because he’s British (this will be, unfortunately his only character remark). The two of them are among the last human beings left within New York after an alien invasion that involved monsters that appear to be what you would get when you mix an enormous gorilla and spider into blender (note to self: don’t make this mistake) and are skilled at speeding through the sloping sides of buildings, and appearing at random locations looking threatening. However, that cat.

RELATED PREVIOUS “A QUIET PLACE” REVIEWS

• Awe-inspiring and frightening “A Quiet Place” creates an eerie connection with the sound
• “A Quiet Place, Part II review: The appealing creatures feature amps up the jump terrors

I’m focusing about the cat here since there’s no other thing to be focused on during “A Quiet Place: Day One” -which suggests that the thing that made the two previous ” Quiet Place” films work was the writer/director John Krasinski, who here gives the reins (or more accurately, the leash for his cat) the reins to Michael Sarnoski. The cat, known as Frodo and portrayed with feline actors Nico and Schnitzel as well as Schnitzel and Nico, both of whom ought to be considered for Oscars right away — is the most chill cat to have ever walked the planet: not batting a paw at the ear-splittingly loud space invasions and snoring in peace while swimming in the sea in the waters off the South Street Seaport, casting eyes with a sympathetic grin at the human who appear utterly confused due to the need to run through the streets for their life. As someone whose cat needs therapy almost every time the vacuum cleaner goes on, I was enthralled. What was it that made Frodo so sparkling and clean every day even when the entire city of Manhattan and Samira — was smothered with gray grime? Did he really belong to an Marvel Comics superhero cat? Could he be an extremely good agent?

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However, I don’t have to affirm that Nyong’o’s dazzling talents are wasted in this crowded and boring film, which does not even come close to the wit -or the genuine terror of the first two films in the series. The entire premise of monsters responding to sound doesn’t seem to make sense, since Eric and Samira appear to be talking constantly In one erroneous moment, begins reading poetry to her just like one would in the midst of war on the planets. (At the very least, I think that it was poetry, but truthfully, at this point in the film, nobody was aware of.) If someone would provide Frodo his own brand of franchise? I’d watch.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” 1/2 (out of four)

With Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou. The script was written and directed by Michael Sarnoski. 99 minutes. Rated for PG-13, which includes violent images/content. The film opens on June 27 in multiple theatres.