Another strong entry in this horror franchise. This one sets itself apart by introducing new characters with surprising perspectives, and a new setting that heightens the tension.

For those who haven’t seen the first two films, the series is set in a world in which aliens have landed on earth and have extremely acute hearing. It doesn’t seem that they can see or smell, but they can hear. They are also extremely ill tempered and will kill anything that makes noise. The first two films follow a family that have been living in this new alien world. This film takes a step back and shows us the first day of their arrival.

The film follows Lupita Nyong’o as Sam. Sam is living with terminal cancer, and is increasingly bitter and jaded about existence. On a day trip to New York City, the aliens start arriving and killing everyone in sight that makes noise. Sam decides that what she’d really like to do is take her cat to her favorite pizza place for what is probably the last slice of pizza this place will ever make.

Sam is a fascinating horror movie protagonist because of her unique relationship with death. I like the way that she actively chooses her own fate and faces danger in a way that is completely different from other horror movie characters. We can see her weighing her decisions and the consequences as she faces the inevitable. But the film never descends into nihilism or a sense of hopelessness. It finds hope in this awful world. Nyong’o’s performance gives so much to this film. A lesser actress wouldn’t have been able to convey so much.

One thing I love about all three of these movies is the filmmaking on display. Because of the premise of the film, you can’t rely on dialogue to explain everything to the audience. You need very clear visual language to communicate everything, and director Michael Sarnoski is up to the challenge. There are a lot of really wonderful little moments like when Sam realizes that the sound of the rain will cover the sound of their voices, so they can whisper to each other without attracting attention. It’s a simple use of good shot selection and subtle sound effects, but it’s so effective.

The character of Sam also has a cat that is awesome. It’s a great cat actor or “cactor” It is very cute. It hits its marks. It gives a good performance. It doesn’t die. It moves the plot forward. It’s a surprising cat performance because usually animal companions are used for cheap pathos when they die or to create some chaos that gets our heroes in trouble. Not so here. The cat is another character on their journey.

The movie stretches incredulity on a few occasions. It dances on the line of breaking its own rules a few too many times for me. There is a powerful moment when the characters let out deep, guttural, and cathartic screams during a thunderstorm. It’s an emotionally impactful moment, but I also don’t believe that the thunder is enough to cover the sound of the screams. Not when these aliens have been shown to have such acute hearing throughout the film.

There is a lot of great tension and a lot of good scares. The characters are wonderful and there’s a deeper layer of metaphor running through the whole story about death and choosing our fate.

I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely my cup of tea. A