Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path. Ralph Potts reviews the Ultra HD Blu-ray release of A Quiet Place Part II from Paramount Home Entertainment.
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The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
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Extras:
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Audio/UHD Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
96
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/UHD Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
96
Details:
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2021
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 96 minutes
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Disc Format: BD-66
Encoding: HEVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 2160p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1, French/Spanish/Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou
Written & Directed by: John Krasinski
Music by: Marco Beltrami
Region Code: A
Release Date: July 27, 2021
"Silence is Not Enough"
Synopsis:
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path. – Paramount Home Entertainment.
My Take:
A Quiet Place Part II continues the plight of the Abbott family just after the events in A Quiet Place. I would like to begin with some of my comments from my review of the first film:
Narrow in scope, and teeming with atmosphere, and suspense, this is an engaging, genre bending thriller, that grabs hold early on and doesn’t let up. After brief introductions it sets the stage for the primary menace via a disturbing event. We are quickly connected to the family afterward and come to care about them as they expertly navigate the perilous environment by remaining as quiet as humanly possible. Unfortunately, a series of events both foreseen and unforeseen bring them directly into harm’s way on one fateful evening. The narrative’s unraveling tale is executed so well, so as to keep you seeing only what is intended, until the moment chosen to unhinge its direction.
I really enjoy the first film and, after seeing the teaser trailer for A Quiet Place Part II, I was all in. Unfortunately, COVID-19 delayed its theatrical release for over a year. My wife and I patiently awaited its release and were there opening weekend to see it in the theater. Sequels can be a tricky thing to get right. Luckily, writer/director John Krasinski has a distinct vision for the subject matter and the knack to clearly get that across because, A Quiet Place Part II is every bit as engaging and well executed as its predecessor. The opening allows the audience to see “Day 1” which is a thrilling way to open the film before bringing it back to present, where the first film closed.
The narrative’s scope broadens bringing in a few new characters, one of them being integral to the plot, while continuing to focus on the Abbott’s struggle to survive. Here, the storyline is split, allowing the character arc of Regan to grow in light of her father’s death and, following Marcus and Evelyn who must find a means to rely on one another, not only protect the baby but, to survive while they await news from Regan. The discoveries associated with the creatures during the first film play a role, as do several new elements, that propel the story forward. I really enjoyed how this was handled as the events unfold on both fronts.
The cinematography and soundtrack are top notch, playing a definitive role in the proceedings. The pacing is spot on, allowing the subtext and thematic underpinnings to maintain the plot’s focus. As with the first film I thought that Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe did a fantastic job, enjoying superb chemistry that underscored the film’s multiple themes. Newcomer Cillian Murphy is marvelous, adding a definitive performance that made the film all the better. I found A Quiet Place Part II to be every bit as compelling and entertaining during this second viewing and have added it to my collection right alongside A Quiet Place.
Replay Value:
Parental Guide:
The rating is for terror, violence and some bloody/disturbing images.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.
UHD Presentation: 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
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Dolby Atmos Rating: 98
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
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A Quiet Place Part II comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment featuring 2160pHEVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound.
For its presentation on Ultra HD Blu-ray, A Quiet Place Part II was rendered from a mix of 35mm film and 3.4K digital sources and finished on a 4K Digital Intermediate.
From a cinematic perspective, this film was shot with the same visual aesthetic as its predecessor and, that comes through in the presentation which looks terrific in Ultra HD. I wouldn’t describe this film as overtly colorful, however, there are elements, such as shots of the interior of the grocery store, the uniforms/clothing during the little league game, or the wide-angle shots of the mountainous region/forest lands/island beach, where the palate of autumn-based hues, sepia tones and variants of blue/red/green benefited from UHD's wider color gamut, appearing vividly pleasing and lifelike.
Resolution gets a noticeable boost as well. Close-ups and mid-level shots offer improved refinement and deeper resolvable texture on interior surfaces, metallic objects, and physical features when compared to 1080p. There is intermittent use of visual elements that utilize high dynamic range. There were instances where bright elements looked appreciably vibrant, such as the erupting flames from the exploding oxygen tank or the incandescent lighting in the dark living space in the steel mill. Like the first film A Quiet Place Part II contains a host of sun splashed, daytime segments, which appeared more vibrant and tonally gradational compared to the Blu-ray. The film’s plethora of defining low level sequences had excellent depth of field and emboldened contrast.
Based upon the excellent quality of the original source the difference between viewing A Quiet Place Part II in high definition and Ultra HD isn't night and day, but there is no question that its UHD presentation benefitted from the increase in resolution, and high dynamic range treatment. Mimicking what I saw during its theatrical presentation I am pleased to report that this appears to be a faithful rendering that compliments the source.
Dolby Atmos:
In listening to the Dolby Atmos surround mix I found it to be an entertaining listening experience that made excellent use of the platform. The immersive mix compliments the already top-notch soundtrack and enhances the experience of watching the film. The use of audio objects placed above and at ear level is a mix of atmospherics, discrete effects and music. The film’s critical moments, swallow you up as the mix elevates tension, placing sounds throughout the soundstage.
I am a big fan of the Atmos mix on A Quiet Place and this track follows suit. The attention to detail is noticeably on display, giving you a taste of what is to come early on during the opening sequence on “Day 1”. This is followed later by the engaging scenes at the steel mill (as Abbott’s are pursued), aboard the train, during Evelyn’s standoff with the oxygen tank and the car chase on the island. None of these are overlong but, sound terrific.
There is also much to enjoy in scenes that aren’t actively intense as smaller elements in the background are articulated and dimensionally full. In general, this Dolby Atmos mix made for an involving surround sound experience. I enjoyed the balance of atmosphere and discrete object placement, which complimented the source material. I had a blast…!
For those not familiar with the details regarding Ultra HD Blu-ray you can refer to my article that includes some pertinent data on the subject. Here is the link:
Ultra HD Blu-ray Has Come to AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Blu-ray Video:
Video: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
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- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
- Resolution/Clarity:
Audio: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
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- DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element): NA
- Dynamics:
A Quiet Place Part II comes to Blu-ray Disc from Paramount Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound.
This is an excellent high-definition rendering that sports plenty of fine detail and crisp definition that provides discerning dimensional perspective. The reproduction of the film’s earth-toned colors ranges from warm and vivid to reserved and occasionally to almost tonally neutral. This is obviously a creative decision that draws definitive visual boundaries and works quite well. Contrast is strong and blacks are deep without compromise to delineation. Shadowy areas exhibit excellent depth of field and visible gradational stages. I didn’t see any signs of video degrading artifacts or extraneous compression related noise. A Quiet Place Part II looks great on Blu-ray.
The 7.1 Dolby True HD (Atmos core) soundtrack is excellent and truly enhances the film’s overall presentation. This is a dynamically gratifying surround mix that features high level detail, superlative clarity and room filling surround sound. This is sophisticated sound design that incorporates a vast number of sound effects that are intricately mixed to engage the listening position. Spot on imaging and channel separation draw out both large and small sounds and allow their directional correlation based upon the onscreen events to be definable within the room’s acoustic boundaries.
This is not an ostentatious audio presentation but it offers engaging bass extension that produces smooth, palpably rich low frequencies that energize the room (bass fans are going to love it!). When applicable dialog is reproduced with lucid expression and exacting clarity. End to end this is an attention-grabbing home theater presentation that plays perfectly to this film’s thematic content. Give the volume knob an extra couple of turns and let ‘er rip!
Bonus Features:
- Disc 1: A Quiet Place Part II Ultra HD Blu-ray
- Disc 2: A Quiet Place Part II Blu-ray
• Director’s Diary: Filming with John Krasinski
• Pulling Back the Curtain
• Regan’s Journey
• Surviving the Marina
• Detectable Disturbance: Visual Effects and Sound Design - Digital Code
Final Thoughts:
Written and directed by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II is an engaging, well-executed, and head turning sequel that delivers a terrific theatrical experience. It comes to Blu-ray in this Ultra HD Combo Pack that delivers faithful image quality, while invigorating the listening experience with a rousing Dolby Atmos immersive sound mix, and room shaking sound. Also included is a fair assortment of extras that are worth exploring. If you enjoyed the original film A Quiet Place Part II is a must see that comes highly recommended on Blu-ray. Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman color calibration software and Portrait Displays C6 HDR2000 colorimeter from Portrait.com)
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7706 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/Roomie Remote V6 Universal Remote Control
SVS Ultra Tower Speakers (Gloss Finish)
SVS Ultra Center Channel (Gloss Finish)
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Niles Audio In-Ceiling/In-Wall Series Speakers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems
