A Quiet Place: Day One - Walmart Exclusive 4K UHD SteelBook

Our man Mr. Duarte did the main review for this film so I'm going to let his words to the work because my sentiments largely echo his. After John Krasinski's first two films, I felt the franchise was pretty well played. Nicely buttoned up, and didn't really need to be "expanded." But, franchises are going to franchise so we ended up with a side story. With Michael Sarnoski helming and actors Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn starring, my interests moved from worried but curious to genuine interest. So I bought my ticket, took my seat, and was surprised at how well A Quiet Place: Day One played out. When the film could have just gone the tried and true action-packed creature carnage sequel route, it instead leaned into the heart-felt character drama of two disparate strangers facing the end of the world together. For what it's worth, I loved it and am eager to see what comes next on the big screen or on next-gen gaming systems.

The following is from Mr. Duarte's A Quiet Place: Day One 4k UHD SteelBook Review

John Krasinski's first two movies had already sold me on a franchise about an alien invasion from sound-sensitive monsters, affectionately known as Death Angels, destroying all human life on Earth. And A Quiet Place: Day One, the third entry to the series serving as a spin-off prequel, has turned me into a loyal devotee, further building my excitement for Krasinski's next installment and the upcoming video game: A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. Unlike most typical apocalyptic movies with heroes who have some special talent or skill for surviving the end of times or at least, aiding in some way to fend it off, these creature features center around average everyday people surviving catastrophic circumstances. Essentially, the stories are very much character-driven, and Day One, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, is no different, following terminally ill cancer patient Sam in search of pizza and an English law student living with some form of anxiety, Eric. 

In his sophomore feature, the director of Pig demonstrates a talent for balancing suspense and human drama, always allowing action to be driven by the character's individual motivations and never losing focus of that amid the moments of chaos and tension. Complemented by the splendidly beautiful photography of Pat Scola (Sing Sing), the camerawork is a limited subjective point of view from Sam (Lupita Nyong'o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn) without feeling heavy-handed or like some kind of first-person shooter. The audience is on the journey from Manhattan to Harlem with the protagonists, witnessing the horror and atrocities befall the city around them, just outside their purview. Sarnoski keeps us connected with the two as they do everything they can to endure while learning more about each other, quietly impacting one another. Her, finding the will and reason to live. Him, finding the courage and strength to survive.

Of course, Sarnoski and Scola's camerawork would be for nothing if not for Nyong'o's brilliant performance, who lost a great deal of weight for the role of a talented poet living in hospice. Spending much of the 99-minute runtime in silence, she bears all of Sam's emotional burden and baggage largely in her expressive face, emoting not only the fear and shock of seeing death around her but also the strain and distress of her moribund state. As Eric puts it halfway into the story, the alien invasion is an inconvenient interruption to their lives — this is not how things were supposed to play out. This was not part of the plan — for life to be suddenly postponed or cut short by destructive monsters, cancer or panic attacks. When having to already live with such afflictions amid an apocalypse, the search for a pizza in one's childhood neighborhood takes on greater, relatable significance — to experience life's simple joys for the last time. The outcome is predictable, but A Quiet Place: Day One works because, as corny as it sounds, the journey there is all the more satisfying. (Movie Rating: 4/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

A Quiet Place: Day One makes plenty of noise on physical media with a Walmart Exclusive 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook. A very ominous red-themed piece, it plays similarly to the Amazon SteelBook with the doppler effect looking like New York City, but without Nyong'o's face in the image, and then, of course, it's very red. But I like it, it's dramatic and stylish. The BD-66 disc sits comfortably atop a Region Free, BD50 disc on the same panel without being 100% stacked. The discs load to static image main menus with standard navigation options. 

Much like E.'s review of the film, I stand by his assessment of the A/V quality so I'll repost those here too: 

Apocalyptic horror spin-offs have never looked as gorgeous and eye-catching as this movie does on Ultra HD. It features a stunning, reference-quality native 4K transfer that impresses from start to finish, showing razor-sharp details in the production design, the costumes and the CGI monsters. The small cracks along the ruined buildings are distinct; the tiniest pebbles scattered on the streets are well-defined; the lettering of signs and posters are cleanly legible; and the fabric and stitching of Sam's sweater are discrete in every scene. 

Best of all, Pat Scola's photography really comes to life thanks to the HDR grading, boasting a pitch-perfect contrast balance, vividly glowing whites throughout and resplendent specular highlights. Nighttime sequences are swarming in raven, midnight blacks and dark, velvety shadows while maintaining outstanding visibility within the murkiest corners, providing the 2.39:1 image with a lovely cinematic appeal. The Dolby Vision presentation is also unexpectedly colorful, showered in sumptuous primaries and a richly vibrant array of earth tones. At the same time, facial complexions appear natural and accurate with revealing, lifelike textures in the entire cast. Overall, the HEVC H.265 encode is simply stunning, a beautiful complement to an already delightfully winning story. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 96/100)

Like the video, the latest in the series crashes into home theaters with an exceptional, first-rate Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The codec not only delivers a fully immersive experience but also is an excellent choice for testing the system's full capabilities. Right from the start, the movie opens with several understated effects all around and slowly builds into a cacophony of atmospherics that fill the entire room, overwhelming the viewer with the chaotic sounds of an alien invasion and the sudden peace of silence. If it's not the monsters stampeding through the streets or falling from above, then it's the deafening roar of the military helicopters and the sharp crack of lightning blaring overhead, generating a remarkable hemispheric soundfield. All the while, imaging is consistently broad and spacious with a variety of ambient noise sharply and cleanly panning in every direction while the mid-range displays exquisite definition with room-penetrating clarity. Vocals are at all times distinct and precise, even during the loudest, most tumultuous segments. A robust, authoritative low-end adds some wall-rattling, couch-shaking weight to the visuals, occasionally energizing the room with a palpable presence that digs into the lower depths and that'll surely annoy the neighbors. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 100/100)

• Day Zero: Beginnings and Endings (2160p HDR, 8 min) is a series of interviews about the overall production with special attention given to writer and director Michael Sarnoski
• In the City: Chaos in Chinatown (2160p HDR, 8 min) focuses on the extraordinary work of production designer Simon Bowles and his team
• The Long Walk: Monsters in Midtown (2160p HDR, 8 min) looks at the other performances, particularly Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou with special attention on Frodo the cat
• Pizza at the End of the World (2160p HDR, 7 min) touches on various aspects of the story and plot
• The Exodus: Against the Tide (2160p HDR, 6 min) shines a spotlight on Nyong'o while detailing the effort that went into shooting a key sequence 
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (2160p HDR, 15 min) houses five excised scenes

When a franchise hits the third entry, I tend to get skeptical. After two great films, how great can the third one be, right? Well, A Quiet Place: Day One breaks convention by delivering an excellent third entry to the franchise. It helps this film manage to find some new characters to follow through the apocalypse and also delivers a surprisingly tense and heartfelt chapter. If there's more Quiet Places to explore, I'm ready to stay deathly silent for the next outing. On 4K UHD, we can enjoy a practically perfect Dolby Vision transfer with a reference quality Atmos mix to match. Bonus features are informative, but their slim, brief nature doesn't fully deliver a satisfying second helping of content when the main course is over. Whichever SteelBook you go for or if you stick with the standard edition disc, consider this one Highly Recommended.

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