After finally hitting theaters, this week brings A Quiet Place Part II to 4K Ultra HD. Is the tense sequel worth adding to your home entertainment collection?
The Movie
Despite being a horror-movie weenie, I’m a sucker for all manner of Monster movies. As such, I was pretty happy with A Quiet Place when it launched. With the sequel looking like it would dive more into that territory, giving us more monster action, I was definitely excited to check this one out.
Directed By: John Krasinski
Written By: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds
Release Date: July 27, 2021
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The film picks up pretty much immediately after the events of the first film (after a quick flashback), as the family must now seek refuge elsewhere. Having learned the secret behind killing the creatures they set out, a little more confidently, into the wider world. Taking down one alien creature, however, is much easier than having to handle several of them.
Along their way to interact with other survivors, they find themselves dealing with more trouble (and injuries) than expected. This lands them on Emmett’s (who they knew from the past) doorstep in seek of shelter and help. Like many others, Emmett has pretty much lost everything and given up hope of things getting any better. He seeks nothing more than to get rid of the newcomers, but things get…complicated.
Having heard a radio transmission, the first one they’ve heard since the invasion began. Seeing it as an opportunity to potentially share the secret behind defeating the aliens, Regan sets out on her own to find the source of the signal. If you haven’t seen the film yet, I’m not going to spoil it, especially since it really went in a direction I wasn’t entirely expecting. Suffice it to say, Regan’s plan doesn’t go off without a hitch.
On the whole, I enjoyed the sequel. Considering my own preferences, I feel somewhat confident in saying I liked watching this film more than the original. The monster action is fun, and there are still some solid scares in there. The use of sound, once again, feels masterful and cranks the tension up even in scenes where “nothing” is going on. The acting, all around, was great with solid performances that kept the action and emotions running high.
In all, it feels like the filmmakers were moving more confidently into the world they’ve created and it was great seeing things expanded beyond the borders to see how other places were impacted by the alien invasion.
That said, something didn’t quite click for me. Where I think I enjoyed the sequel more for what it was trying to do, as a movie, it’s not nearly as strong as the first film. The expansion of the “world” was great, but it’s almost as if they couldn’t decide to tell a bigger story or a more personal/intimate one (as they did before). The result is a mix of both, the conclusion to which is far from satisfying. I was left wanting more, but definitely not in a good way.
A Quiet Place Part II is solid and takes some good ideas to the next step. I loved the flashbacks and learning more about the world overall, but the final act just falls short. There are plot threads that I felt were leading to an interesting story, that ended up going nowhere and being dropped entirely. If you enjoyed the original film, you’ll like this one too, just probably not as much. If you weren’t down with the original…well, this isn’t going to change your mind on the subject.
Sight and Sound
On the technical side of things, the 4K transfer for A Quiet Place Part II is pretty damn great. The image is crystal clear and features some seriously deep blacks. This gives so much depth on the screen, and allows the (many) dark/nighttime sequences to stand out in clarity.
This is even better considering how the film frequently inserts things in the background during scenes. These are often used to give audiences insight the characters don’t have, setting up some future scares or just ramping up the tension another notch.
The sound design is excellent, and a big part of how the story is told (obviously). Thankfully the surround sound on the disc highlights all that nuance and immerses you in the world. IN general, there are no complaints I can think of in terms of the technical aspects for the 4K Ultra HD.
The Bonus Features
The 4K Ultra HD of A Quiet Place Part II comes with a digital copy insert, and a Blu-ray copy of the film that includes these bonus features:
Feature film in high definition
Director’s Diary: Filming with John Krasinski
Pulling Back the Curtain
Regan’s Journey
Surviving the Marina
Detectable Disturbance: Visual Effects and Sound Design
By and large, the special features don’t offer up a whole lot. All together, they barely total up to a half-hour’s worth of behind the scene’s content. None of it goes particularly deep into any specific area and feel more like promotional material than anything else.
