The original 2018 “A Quiet Place” film was a smash hit, so it makes sense for Paramount to capitalize on this property John Krasinski has conjured. Thus we get “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which follows a new set of characters in a bustling New York City. The film follows the story of Samira, played by Lupita Nyong’o, a dying cancer patient who finds herself trapped in New York City during the first few days of the alien invasion.

This latest installment in the “Quiet Place” franchise brings filmmaker Michael Sarnoski to tell this new horror story. Sarnoski brings an original screenplay to the table, which leaves the film with the difficult task of showing this apocalypse in a new setting but also giving audiences a story that does not revolve around the Abbott family from first and second films.

With the character of Samira, the film allows itself to play with the idea of what surviving an apocalypse is like even if your days are coming to an end due to illness. The narrative moments that explore this concept are easily some of the strongest in the film, making up for the absence of the already-established characters. Nyong’o gives one of the best performances in this franchise thus far; she has a particular way of acting with her eyes and facial expressions that is haunting, tragic and can put the audience in her shoes.

Joseph Quinn is also worth bringing up. Quinn is quickly making his ways up the ranks as a rising new star after his performance in “Stranger Things” back in 2022 and his upcoming performances in “Gladiator 2” and Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four.” Similar to Nyong’o (and the rest of the cast), Quinn is tasked with a mostly-silent performance that relies on expressive body language. While Quinn’s character admittedly is not that interesting or unique, he does the most with what he is given. More than anything, Samira’s support cat Frodo steals the show.

Like the other two films in the franchise, the sound design is a prominent highlight. The first “A Quiet Place” film won Best Sound Design at the 2019 Academy Awards. There is certainly an argument to be made that “Day One” will follow a similar trajectory at next year’s Oscar ceremony. The sound design does an effective job at bringing the city of New York to life at the start of the film and showing its downfall as the story progresses. The film also knows how to lean into the more quiet moments and be more conservative with its use of noise, creating an eerie feeling.

There is a great deal of technical expertise that went into making this film, showing Sarnoski as an up-and-coming director to keep an eye on. There are many disorienting and chaotic action/horror moments that benefit this story and show some real craftsmanship, but whether or not this prequel was the most necessary choice for this franchise is up to debate.

“Day One” falls flat when it comes to bringing anything all that new to the table in terms of the alien creatures or why they are even here in the first place. By the time the film ends, more questions have been created rather than answered. It almost feels as if the executives at Paramount said, “What if it was ‘A Quiet Place,’ but in New York!” with no further exploration from there. The film’s meditation around Samira and her illness is what breathes life into an otherwise by-the-books entry in the series.

Despite not bringing anything new to the table for this franchise or the horror-apocalypse genre more broadly, “Day One” is a decent enough time with some strong human moments and one of the best performances given by a cat in any film ever.