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Everyone knows the cardinal rule about not judging a work of art by its cover. The mere existence of Michael Sarnoski's "A Quiet Place: Day One" challenges that rule and invites some skepticism and raised eyebrows going in because its title suggests an explainer of something that should be left unexplained. Luckily, "A Quiet Place: Day One" defies those initial expectations and offers an occasionally thrilling, sometimes moving, but ultimately distractingly superfluous outing.

In 2018, director John Krasinski shocked audiences with a slick 90-minute thriller, which was tense and immersive and wholly original. Its success guaranteed a sequel ("A Quiet Place: Part II" was released in 2021 after a pandemic delay), but Krasinski made the film a continuation of the first's story. This helped the movies to feel in conversation with one another and avoided making the sequel feel like a cheap cash-in on a popular new franchise.

Krasinski has given the helm to Sarnoski, who is following up his directorial debut "Pig" (which was named the best movie of 2021 here) with a much larger canvas. Krasinki has a story credit here, but the movie feels like it has Sarnoski's touch, which was shown with the delicate and somber "Pig." Amidst the big set pieces, Sarnoski allows for human moments, which make "A Quiet Place: Day One" unexpectedly moving in fleeting moments.

Even when "A Quiet Place: Day One" is thrilling and the action scenes make your entire body tense up, the shadow of two stronger movies hovers over the entire outing. It's fortunate that "A Quiet Place: Day One" doesn't break down the logistics of this world, because the first two films succeeded greatly in their ambiguity. "A Quiet Place: Day One" operates as a prequel, but can't help feeling like just another monster flick with "A Quiet Place" stamped on it.

A major part of why "A Quiet Place: Day One" ultimately works is star Lupita Nyong'o. She plays Samira (or Sam), who is living in a hospice facility, where one of the nurses named (Alex Wolff) convinces her to come into New York City for an outing with other residents. Sam reluctantly agrees with the stipulation that she wants to go for a very specific piece of pizza while they are there.

All plans in the city are thwarted when jets start passing by overhead, cars begin blowing up, and larger-than-life monsters appear. The entire sequence is effectively disorienting, which helps the viewer understand the sheer panic of the characters on screen. All of New York City goes into survival mode, trying to stay silent because the monsters immediately attack when they hear a noise. Sam partners up with Eric (Joseph Quinn) to try and navigate the dystopian streets of New York.

While together, the movie tries to open the Sam and Eric characters to us because humanizing them makes them feel like they are more than two characters in a monster picture. Nyong'o is such a deep well of emotions as an actor; she makes hiding in silence heartbreaking. She and Quinn have a strong chemistry together in their bond to survive.

On its face, "A Quiet Place: Day One" offers the popcorn entertainment expected during summer at the movies. The movie is limited by being part of the established mythos without adding anything to it. Coming behind the first two movies, there isn't much to be surprised about when it comes to the franchise's prequel.