‘Bird Box’ vs ‘A Quiet Place:’ Who Did It Better?

When you think of a horror monster movies that came out in 2018 that involves the protagonists not being able to use one of their senses, your mind goes one of two places: Susanne Bier’s “Bird Box” or John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place.” When one released on Netflix and one released worldwide (respectively), they were both highly acclaimed, with more than 80 million views on Netflix for “Bird Box” and 340 million dollars for “A Quiet Place.” So who did it better? Who managed to encapsulate how scary it would be to live without key components in your life?

Plot Wise

Sandra Bullock in a scene from “Bird Box” (Netflix, 2018).

“Bird Box” is based on an excellent book by John Malerman about creatures that arrive on Earth and forces everyone to hurt themselves or others if they look at them. The only way to survive this harsh new world is to live by the blindfold. Never go outside without something covering your face or you will die. 

“Bird Box” takes a huge risk and splices the whole movie into flashbacks and present set scenes. While at some points the present set scenes are interesting, it is extremely obvious that the creators really only cared about the flashbacks. They were immensely more interesting and emotionally fulfilling, and the present just seemed to lack all that. I found myself while both watching the movie and reading the book exhausted by those parts and begging to get back to the flashbacks, to the heart. 

“A Quiet Place,” however, is not based on a book at all. It was written and directed by John Krasinski, aka Jim Halpert from “The Office.” It’s about one of the last remaining families on Earth after deadly creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing destroy the world. The family has to adapt to this, and now live without barely any speaking. 

That’s exactly what makes “Bird Box” so scary. We never get a glimpse of the monster, the glimpse of the thing that took away our protagonist’s lives.”

“A Quiet Place” has a much more linear approach to it’s storytelling compared to “Bird Box.” It starts with a tragic death of the youngest member of their family, and then flash forwards to a few years later. Although they’ve moved forward, their loss still is a big part of their life. It’s a horror film, but at the center of it it’s just about a family. No moment seems like filler in “A Quiet Place.” Although it is much slower paced than “Bird Box,” at no point do I get the feeling that they’re throwing away scenes just to fill the runtime.

“Bird Box’” overall plot, while being intriguing a majority of the time, doesn’t have the same structural depth that “A Quiet Place” has. Each character in “A Quiet Place” has so much development, so much heart. While Sandra Bullock’s character and her two kids have good character development, we only get to know the rest of the player’s for a couple of minutes before they get killed. We’re constantly reminded of the pain this little apocalyptic family feels in “A Quiet Place.” Yet in “Bird Box,” all we see is the characters surviving. There’s zero toll on them. In fact, most of the characters spend half of the time flirting with the other, as if they won’t die if they look outside. I’ve used the word “heart” a lot, but “A Quiet Place” just has more of it.

The Creatures

Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, and John Krasinski in “A Quiet Place” (Paramount Pictures, 2018).

While the monsters in “A Quiet Place” are indeed horrifying, it manages to lose our fear once we see them for the first time clearly. For the first act of the film, we never get a good look at the monsters. There manages to be a cloud of mystery around it. Yet, the second we see them, the cloud dissipates. That’s exactly what makes “Bird Box” so scary. We never get a glimpse of the monster, the glimpse of the thing that took away our protagonist’s lives. It’s a bold choice, considering it’s a monster movie. But it does show us that the real villain’s are the people, not the monsters. The crazy people who believe that the creature’s are harmless are the real antagonists, as they try to force the sane to see them too. I like to think that the creatures don’t know the effect they have on humans. That they don’t have any malicious intent, just that they’re too vast to comprehend. 

Once we see the creatures in “A Quiet Place,” there’s not much to be afraid of. They’re big, scary, Demogorgon-like monsters and that’s it. “Bird Box” keeps up the suspense as it isn’t afraid to keep the creatures a mystery. 

The Rules

As I said before, in “Bird Box” they aren’t allowed to look, and in “A Quiet Place” they’re not allowed to talk. Although it would be difficult to completely silence everything in you and your family’s life, I really think you can’t compare it to the difficulty of never being able to see. I can imagine myself learning sign language and setting up sand everywhere I walk to reduce floor creaks, but I can’t imagine walking around with a blindfold my whole life. This one goes to “Bird Box” for creating a truly impossible world to live in. 

John Krasinski casts himself and wife Emily Blunt as the two parents, and they have some of the best acting I’ve seen in a horror film.”

Acting

I’ll keep this brief. “A Quiet Place” has far superior acting performances compared to “Bird Box.” John Krasinski casts himself and wife Emily Blunt as the two parents, and they have some of the best acting I’ve seen in a horror film. Millicent Simmons and Noah Jupe as the kids are great as well. As for “Bird Box,” I can’t say the acting was very good. Sure, lead characters like Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich were great, but the rest of the acting seems very stilted. Even Sarah Paulson, who I thought could make any part good, fell victim to the bad dialogue. So the performance aspect goes to “A Quiet Place” by a mile. 

Verdict

“A Quiet Place” is a far better film than “Bird Box.” It has a better plot, better characters, and is just a better movie. But “Bird Box” has much more rewatch value and scares. If you want to watch a superbly written, directed, and acted film that will influence more like it in the future, then watch “A Quiet Place.” But if you don’t have a problem with watching just a fun movie, and you want to get some thrills in for the month of October, “Bird Box” is the way to go.