No One Will Save You review: A dialogue-free story of salvation and fear

❘ Published: 2023-09-22T04:00:00

20th Century

Brian Duffield’s No One Will Save You is a chilling yet suspenseful mystery as a homebody fights to save herself amid an alien invasion.

The sci-fi horror movie has a unique twist that’s unexpected but welcome: there’s no dialogue. Only the reverberating sounds of other species and overall fear. Brynn Addams (Kaitlyn Dever) is a seemingly sweet girl who spends the majority of her time at home. But she hides something as she’s ostracised by everyone in town for a reason that will later become clear.

Aliens have been a hot topic in the movie industry for years, with the recent news of the American government admitting to their existence. But the aliens in No One Will Save You warps the common image of them into bizarre horrors and utter fascination.

While trying to find a way to stay alive, Brynn Addams also faces herself – and No One Will Save You comes with an ending that puts the cherry on top. This review has no major spoilers for the plot, and certain details teased in the trailer.

No One Will Save You uses sound to evoke a mind-numbing feeling

The clicks and sounds the aliens make in No One Will Save You are nothing necessarily new. But in the grand scope of a dialogue-free movie, they evoke a more chilling feel.

Movies have done it all, from aliens who have cute and intellectual voices, to aliens that are downright monstrous and growl at anything. No One Will Save You has an alien race that doesn’t speak, but uses sound waves, clicking noises, and shrieking yells to speak to their kin and communicate with their ship. The sounds can be bellowing, resonating, hollow, and sometimes hurtful to the ear.

Within the entire Hulu movie, there’s a handful of spoken dialogue, but only coming from Brynn during crucial moments. In the quietness of a remote town and nighttime, the sounds from the aliens can sound haunting. Some audiences may find their noises similar to Predator. The aliens? Downright grotesque and beguiling.

Instead of sticking to one form of alien, Duffield creates different levels ranging in body shape, strength, and overall rank. One set of aliens caters to the more 90s version of a very skinny, lanky, and sickly grey color. Its head is also bulbous and has pitch-black eyes that reflect light in the dark. A closer look reveals their eyes are not entirely smooth or flat, almost filled with small holes. Creepy, right?

But the real horror comes with the other versions of aliens. Be warned, the long-legged tarantula-like alien the size of a car will appear in nightmares. This version of the alien is the worst and seems larger than life and its long arms look grotesque. But nothing will prepare No One Will Save You viewers when they realize the local townspeople have an alien parasite wiggling in their throats. One specific scene will have fans dry heaving.

To be fair, the aliens sometimes seem comical because of their robotic actions, and often fascinating to observe.

Kaitlyn Dever’s shines bright in No One Will Save You

Instead of spoken dialogue, the fear and will to survive is expressed in Kaitlyn Dever’s emotions and powerful acting in No One Will Save You.

There’s no use of subtitles as they would only try and describe the alien’s sounds, shallow breathing, the sound of running, and thuds. But that’s the beauty of the movie and perfectly ties into Brynn’s character. Brynn is a homebody, struggling to make simple human interaction and conversation. She’s thrust into a situation where she’s not required to speak and the aliens don’t either besides sounds.

With no dialogue, Dever had to carry the emotion of fear with her expressions alone. The actor did a superb job where audiences wouldn’t even realize the lack of words. Within each scene and moment, Brynn’s fear is evident, but so is this sense of uncertainty and courage to survive on her own. But it leaves an air of mystery as to what Brynn sounds like. Audiences will have to hear for themselves.

As a homeboy, Dever also perfectly exhibits the many tendencies that afflict people unsure of social interaction. The constant change in outfits, the subtle pep talks in the mirror, practicing possible talking points under your breath, and the fidgeting.

No One Will Save You’s overall story is a fun mystery to unfold

While the movie is tagged as a horror, No One Will Save You has a few storylines that audiences will try and find the answers to along the way.

Without giving any spoilers, Brynn harbors a secret and the reason why the town dislikes her. But what’s so bad that everyone avoids her? From the get-go, audiences will pick up on the clues of what could have happened to someone named Maude. It’s only until the finale that audiences will be left shell-shocked by the truth.

But the question will be: does the truth change how you see Brynn and will you side with the townspeople? Brynn’s survival abilities are a welcome part of the overall storyline. Audiences will soon realize why the movie is titled No One Will Save You. There are key scenes that serve as symbols of rebirth, letting go, and more. In a town where Brynn is hated, who will save her?

When it comes to the finale, it added a unique surprise that upped the review score. Expect the total opposite of what most alien movies do and a stuttering surprise at where it leaves off Brynn.

No One Will Save Us review score: 4/5

Overall, the movie was an interesting watch from beginning to end. While having a few jump scares and heart palpitating moments, the level of fear bled more into inherent fascination to see how the aliens interact and their purpose to infiltrate Earth. Brynn’s story is what really shines through as audiences are left picking up the puzzle pieces of her past, and how it leads to her ending outcome in a mind-bending finale.

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