‘No One Will Save You’ Invades Both Your Fun Zone and Your Heart
Movie genres come in all shapes and sizes, and while most are intended for nothing more than entertainment, some go further and tell stories filled with emotion and deeper meaning. Screenwriter Brian Duffield (The Babysitter, 2017; Underwater, 2020) is no stranger to the former, but he has quietly made a name for himself in the latter with films like Spontaneous (2020) and Love and Monsters ( 2020). His latest film as writer and director continues this trend as a home invasion thriller with a sci-fi twist that finds real heart and maybe a few drops tears before the end. No One Will Save You captures one woman’s intense, thrilling fight for survival with strength, wit, and an almost complete absence of dialogue. (Well, human dialogue is the same, anyway.)Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives alone in a big house on the outskirts of town, and while she keeps herself busy it’s clear her solitude isn’t entirely of her choosing. As she settles in one night, though, she discovers she’s not quite as alone as she’s become used to — an alien being wants in and wants her, and it’s not alone either. Realizing she can’t rely on anyone else for help, Brynn sets out to defend and defeat whatever these gray bastards decide to throw at her.
No One Will Save You is a genre treat built as much on the bones of past classics as it is the creative genius of its writer/director. Duffield approaches the gray alien subgenre with an energetic and occasionally mean take as these creatures are less interested in making music and more interested in spitting frog-sized creatures down your throat to take control of your every fiber. of your muscles. It’s a thrilling and exciting adventure, and even if the ending doesn’t really work the more you get to know it (it’s been a few days and I’m still thinking about it), the more it becomes clear that is a cooking movie. in its ninety-three minutes. The jumping off point for the film seems inspired, at least in part, by an episode of The Twilight Zone called “The Invaders,” which sees a woman fending off a home invasion by a chihuahua-sized spaceship and its tiny alien invaders. Like that episode, No One Will Save You unfolds with almost no dialogue — impressive enough for a twenty-two minute television episode, but a true feat for a feature length movie — and it leaves the film resting heavily on Dever’s shoulders.
Unsurprisingly to those who have seen her work in everything from Them That Following (2019) to the heartbreaking miniseries Unbelievable (2019), Dever carried the film beautifully. We cheer for her as she fights, sets traps, and flees for her life, and we cry as the sins of her past are revealed. It was a brilliant performance, rich in emotion and spirit and she pulled it all off with just presence and effort. She had been shunned by the community for a while and with no one to talk to, she was used to silence. There’s a sadness alongside the thrill of execution, and this lack of dialogue actually adds to the character’s depth rather than detracting from it. While Dever is the heart and soul of No One Will Save You, Duffield packs his short run with enough thrills for three films. Body Snatchers’ camera angle adds some back-to-back horrors, but getting there is a journey in itself as aliens of various sizes try to invade Brynn’s home and transform their prey. They come to life through a combination of CG and practical effects, and even though their general faces are “traditional” alien depictions, Duffield gives them a creative visual feel. feel unusual. They almost stutter in their movements, like stop-motion puppets escaping their animators, and the result is incredibly annoying.
As mentioned above, Duffield quickly became known for genre films with heart and No One Will Save You doesn’t change that either. The difference here lies in the final moments of the film. The revelations of the third act combined with Dever’s performance will likely bring viewers to tears after 80 minutes of thrilling fun, and will help Brynn’s situation – the battle she is forced to fight alone – becomes even more heartbreaking and inspiring. However, the film’s final choice ignores emotion, as the theme seems confused between redemption and resolution. Still, while No One Will Save You makes a misstep with its ending it’s not a fatal one. The film’s strengths outweigh the iffiness of its conclusion, and we’re left feeling the high of a home invasion/alien invasion mashup we never knew we wanted. The atmosphere is aided even further by a propulsive and addictive score by Joseph Trapanese, and the adrenaline rush of a beautifully crafted survival tale leaves a smile on your face. It would have been great to catch this on the big screen (thanks for nothing 20th Century Disney!), but do yourself a favor and catch it on Hulu instead. Just be sure to crank it up loud.