Director/co-writer/star John Krasinski has a crackling suspense thriller going—right up to the point where he has to contend with The Monster Problem. Set in a near-future where earth has been overrun by deadly, presumably alien creatures who hunt solely by sound, it follows a single family—dad (Krasinski), mom (Emily Blunt) and their two children (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe)—as they try to survive by staying as silent as possible. Krasinski and co-writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck efficiently throw us right into a post-apocalyptic scenario, capturing all the details needed for survival (like laying a trail of sand over crunchy leaves). The set pieces are expertly staged and hauntingly shot by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, with a great narrative ticking clock in the preparations for the pregnant mother to deliver a new—and certain to cry—baby. But eventually Krasinski feels obliged to focus on the creatures themselves, and a story built on family relationships and ominous anticipation becomes all about a weird-looking CGI creation, and a resolution that seems almost too obvious. The quiet place is so much more compelling than the freaky beast place. By Scott Renshaw