(spoiler free)
Having previously penned the screenplays for Underwater (2020) and Love and Monsters (2020) – both of which are well worth a watch – writer-director Brian Duffield is certainly no stranger to the creature feature. It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that his sophomore directorial effort, No One Will Save You, once again sees him pit his characters against a monstrous threat. In this case: extra-terrestrials.
Living alone in her rural childhood home, Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) discovers an imperfection on her lawn one morning. Thinking little of it, she treats it with some water and continues into town. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Brynn’s life is one of loneliness and isolation. Some neighbours ignore her friendly greetings, while others she herself actively avoids. There’s clearly a reason for this disconnect and it seems to affect every aspect of her life. Later that night though, Brynn makes a connection she never would have expected to: an otherworldly one, and suddenly she’s forced to defend her home from an alien invasion.
At first glance No One Will Save You appears to have all the makings of a wildly fun subgenre crossover. Home invasion meets alien abduction is one hell of an elevator pitch, and this alone is a strong enough premise to immediately draw in its audience. The film’s first act mostly delivers on this too. However, after an initial confrontation between Brynn and the extra-terrestrial intruder, sadly, any semblance of fun becomes truly alien.
This is largely caused by Duffield’s clichéd character work, which unfortunately collapses the film’s strong and simple set-up. In focusing so heavily on Brynn’s past trauma, it unnecessarily complicates the previously straightforward premise, which just so happens to be its biggest selling point. Admittedly, at first it makes sense to allude to Brynn’s past in order to create and explain her isolation, especially when faced with such an alarming threat. But when Duffield continues to explore this throughout the film – and with the use of barely any dialogue – it robs the film of all its momentum and excitement. Seriously, not every lead character needs to have unresolved trauma.
It maybe wouldn’t be such a problem if the action in No One Will Save You was better, but it too lacks severe punch. While the VFX work is good, the actual design of the aliens is quite underwhelming, and most likely why they are almost instantly revealed. This really hampers the suspense, as with such a generic design the film fails to muster any scares in a situation that should be truly terrifying. The indecision of whether to make the film a single-location home invasion thriller, or a larger-scale sci-fi flick, doesn’t help things either. This poor cohesion of genres, confused tone and complete lack of atmosphere leaves No One Will Save You firmly stuck in orbit, failing to stick its landing.
Kaitlyn Dever admirably attempts to hold the whole thing together and delivers an adequate performance in the process, but in an utterly thankless role. Neither Brynn, nor her laboured storyline are developed enough to allow her the chance to connect emotionally with audiences. None of Brynn’s personality (if she even has one?) comes through, and the action sequences aren’t creative or dramatic enough for Dever to excel in a more physical way either. The lack of conviction in all of these elements creates an indifference towards the character that’s the final nail in the film’s coffin.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi home invasion that’s tense, emotional and largely free from dialogue, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018) is right there. Because despite its premise, which is quite literally out of this world, No One Will Save You is a total waste of space.
Written by Hamish Calvert
★★
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